


History Repeats Itself If You Let It

by Gameguy1992



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Cold Case - Freeform, F/M, Flashbacks, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Sex, Murder Mystery, Romance, Smut, lemons in later chapters, nicks past, solving the crime, the major character death tag does not apply to nick or judy, whodoneit?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 06:21:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 90,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18026405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gameguy1992/pseuds/Gameguy1992
Summary: Nick Wilde has a problem, he's attracted to his partner Judy Hopps. But in the sparkling city of Zootopia such relationships are looked at with mockery and contempt. 'Lucky' for him Chief Bogo saw fit to reassign him and Judy to a Cold case from over 60 years ago; so they can spend lots of time together figuring out what happened. But history repeats itself, and in this old, forgotten and mishandled case Nick might just find a reflection of him and Judy. Question is, will he learn from history or repeat it?THE MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH TAG DOES NOT APPLY TO NICK OR JUDY





	1. The Cold Case

Sitting in Chief Bogo's office Nick Wilde stared down at the file the Chief had pushed to him and his partner. “your new assignment.”

Raising an eyebrow at the file Nick could not help but note the weathered and worn look of the folder. The paper label had started to yellow from the age. In the chair next to him, his partner Judy Hopps spoke. “what is it Chief? Robbery, smuggling, stalking?”

At her questions Nick felt a small smile tug the corners of his mouth. Some Things never changed. No matter the case Judy was always ready and raring to go. Everything from simple snatch and grab muggings to multi-domain crime rings; she acted as though both were equally important. It was one of the things that made her a great officer. It was one of the things that made him proud to be her partner on the force. Across from them Bogo shook his head and spoke. “Not quite. This one is a bit….different from your recent assignments.”

That peaked his interest, his ears flicking forward slightly. Different? They'd spent the last several months busting drug dealers, smugglers and even an arms dealer working out of the Fog Bay Docks. “different how?”

Bogo sighed and looked at them. “it's a cold case, from about 60 years ago.”

The Chief's words took a moment to sink in. A cold case? As in a case that had gone unsolved and now sat in some dusty backroom waiting for a miracle? Why was the Chief giving them one of these? As if she knew the thoughts he was having Judy spoke, her voice slightly unsure. “Chief?”

Bogo sighed again. “I know, I know. Look, you two have done a great job these last few months, the people you've pulled off the streets made zootopia safer.” holding up a hooved hand Bogo silenced the comment Nick had been about to make. “But between the shootout in Sahara square, the  destruction of a shipping warehouse, and the collateral damage from your high speed chase in downtown Zootopia; you've managed to wrack up an impressive and expensive list of damages.”

Nick's jaw clicked shut as he bit back the snide comment he'd been about to make. Next to his Judy squirmed slightly uncomfortable. At this Nick felt his stomach clench slightly. In truth it was partially his fault things had escalated those times. Judy had tried to do each arrest by the book with as little damage as possible. But each time the book had gone out the window almost immediately, which left them to think quickly or risk getting maimed for killed. Thinking on his feet was something Nick excelled at, but often resulted in him making decisions on the fly with little thought beyond the next few minutes. Hence the shootout, destruction of a warehouse and the high speed chase. Bogo remained silent for a moment, as if waiting to see if they'd argue with him, but when no objections came he continued. “I'll be honest you two, mayor Shiuk has called me several times about your conduct. He appreciates what you two have accomplished but….the city’s insurance is getting a little bogged down with claims. So for now, you're om cold case duty. Understand?”

Grunting in acknowledgment Nick folded his arms. Next to him Judy let out a slightly less enthusiastic than normal, “yes sir.” before reaching out and taking the dusty old file.

Bogo nodded to them. “good. Take that down to the archives and they'll get you everything there is on the case. Good luck.”

Getting up Nick allowed Judy to pass him before following her towards the door. As they neared the door bogo called to them. “try not to uncover any more major conspiracies.”

Letting out a dry chuckle Nick could almost hear Judy roll her eyes at the Chief's comment. Closing the door behind them Nick followed Judy back to their desks in silence. Cold case duty? They been assigned cold case duty?! Sure, they'd caused a little property damage, but the people they'd been after had been dangerous criminals. Zootopia was safer off with them behind bars. Yet now, because they had chosen life over following the book; they were being punished. Great, just bucking great. Pulling open the drawer to his desk Nick reached in, retrieving his gun and badge before clipping both to his belt. Across from him he watched as Judy did the same, also retrieving the keys to their cruiser. As he watched her, Nick could tell there new assignment was bothering Judy. Her normally perked ears were laying against her back, her eyes were slightly sullen and if he could have seen it; he was sure he'd find her tail drooping slightly.

“hey...” he bit his lip as she looked at him. He wanted to say something, something to make the most menial task in the force seem like less of a punishment and more like an exciting assignment. Yet as his partner stood there, no doubt waiting for his snappy remark, Nick found he couldn't come up with one. Instead he sighed, his stomach choosing that moment to let out a soft rumble. He grabbed at the sound, something to redirect Judy's attention. “it's almost lunch time. What say we swing by Manny’ before the archive? We can get that carrot and spinach pizza you like.”

At his words and the mention of her favorite pizza, Judy did perk up a bit. “ok. It's a date partner.”

Feeling his fur bristle slightly at the word ‘date’ Nick was glad Judy was already walking away from him and towards the elevators. Hurrying to follow her Nick bit his lip again. A date, a date…. Some date; greasy pizza, half flat sodas, followed by work. Stepping into the elevator with Judy Nick felt his stomach swoop slightly as they began to descend. Taking a moment to glance sideways at her, Nick could not help but imagine a real date. He'd take her dancing, she loved dancing. Then a walk under the stars, maybe a little coffee before walking her back to her apartment. Maybe some flirting, some conversation on her stoop? A soft kiss between then, maybe a little more if she invited him up? Yeah, that would be a nice date.

Mentally Nick chastised himself a moment later. He shouldn't be thinking about such things, certainly not about his partner. Interdepartmental romances were strictly forbidden in the ZPD. Officers needed to be able to think and act objectively, not something easily done if the one the love is in danger. Still though, as they exited the elevator and headed towards the motor pool; Nick couldn't help but imagine the hypothetical date again. Maybe she'd rather go some place fancy for dinner? A place that required a tie, for sure. Then maybe a tour of some museum or gallery? He'd never pegged her as super interested in high class life, but if the last two years had taught him anything it was that Judy was full of surprises.

Yes, that certainly was true, very full of surprises. Sure, at first she'd assumed he was the stereotypical fox; sly, conniving, always working an angle. To be fair, he had been all of those things. He still was in some cases, his cunning serving them well on several cases. But over time he'd seen her change. She'd been kind to him, kinder than most others had ever been. She took his word on its value, never didn't believe him just because he was a fox. More than that she'd shown herself to be a true friend; having his back in both literal and metaphorical firefights a dozen times. Heck she'd been the one to encourage him to attend the academy, the only reason he'd gotten in was cause of her recommendation.

Climbing into their cruiser Nick remained silent as Judy started the engine and slowly drove out of the lot. When had this attraction started, he wondered. Well actually he knew that answer. When they'd first met and she'd hustled him. He'd know then that she was different, special. But as their first case had unfolded he'd begun to realize it more and more. Judy truly was amazing. Despite the world around her she remained hopelessly optimistic and refused to get bogged down in stereotypes and cliches that so many others saw when dealing with other species. That's when he'd first been attracted to her. Of course then the attraction had been different, more of a… ‘you interest me because your different’ kind of attraction. That hadn't changed until later. And by the time he'd realized it had become more than just platonic attraction, it had been too late. Now he couldn't imagine a day without her. An hour without her infectious attitude. A minute without her almost delusional hope. A second without her happy smile and perfect laugh. If only he knew of a way to tell her that. A way that didn't involve him saying any of that out loud, so he couldn't screw it up by saying something stupid.

Biting his lip Nick turned, forcing himself to look away from his partner and instead out the window of the cruiser. The city was moving by them. In so many ways it looked perfect, a utopia where species of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds lived in peace and harmony. If only that were true and not just something printed on a tourist brochure. They'd seen first hand the true city. The simmering anger, bubbling resentment, tensions so tight they threatened to snap at any second. Yes things had gotten a little better, but only just. And yet as they drove through the city Nick couldn't help but glance back at his partner. At least for him, things had gotten much more than a little better.

 

\------

 

Nick raised an eyebrow as they pushed open the doors to the archive building. Unlike the rest of ZPD the archives building was not located in the precinct but instead a few blocks away in a drab nearly windowless storage building. The lobby of the building at least looked present, with a window letting in a stream of sunlight and a few chairs for people to wait if the staff were busy. On far wall a cutout in the wall housed a desk and the person manning it. Glancing to Judy Nick spoke as they headed for the desk. “looks like it might be a while carrots. They seem pretty busy.”

His comment earned a small smile and chuckle from Judy as they came to a stop in front of the desk. Behind the desk a bored middle aged possum sat, absentmindedly doodling on a piece of paper, but looked up as they came to a stop. “can I help you?”

Nick noted the slight tone of resentment in the possum's voice, as if its doodles were somehow more important than policy business. If Judy noticed the tone she said nothing about it, instead putting the file they'd been given on the desk. “we've been assigned a case. We're here to collect the old logs and evidence. The possum looked genuinely surprised at that, picking up the folder and quickly scanning its contents. As the possum looked it over Nick could hear him mumbling to himself. “order of assignment… notice of approval… permission to access archives.” after a few moments the possum looked up at them. “it all checks out.” again, Nick noted a slight tone in the possum’s, this one of surprise. “come on, i'll buzz you in.”

A moment later a buzz really did sound off, the loud humming sound echoing in the nearly abandoned waiting room, to the left of the desk a door popped open. Making their way through the door Nick and Judy moved down a small hallway. As they did so a door on the side of the hallway opened, and the possum emerged from his ‘office’’. At the end of the hallway a large jail cell style door separated them from the next room. At this Nick raised an eyebrow, while the possum fiddled with an ancient looking key. “interesting security. Are you hoping if anyone robs this place they'll get tetanus?”

The possum glared at him as it pulled the gate open. This time when it spoke the possum's voice was filled with annoyance and perhaps a hint of resentment. “it's the archives department. Not fort Knox. Unlike you active cops we don't get city funding or generous donations from rich folk.”

Holding his hands up in mock defense Nick spoke. “maybe if they knew about the daring and dangerous work you do here. I mean, that pencil looked mighty sharp. You could have tripped and stabbed yourself and bled to death. Truly dangerous work.”

A moment later Nick winced slightly as he felt Judy's elbow dig into his side. Putting his hands down Nick bit his tongue, resisting the urge to make more snappy remarks. Next to him Judy spoke. “ignore him. The rest of the precinct does. Can you tell us anything about the case?”

The possum remained silent for a moment, Still glaring at Nick before responding. “yeah. Its case 1012712270. 101 is priority cases. So probably a homicide.” as he spoke the possum gestured for them to follow. Stepped passed the gate Nick and Judy found themselves standing in a large room stacked to the ceiling with shelves. Lining the shelves sat hundreds, maybe even thousands of boxes. No windows brought in natural light, instead a dated and antiquated fluorescent light flickered and hummed above them. “271 is the precinct that handled the case. So your case happened in downtown zootopia.” it was impossible not to stare at the boxes as they walked past them. Each box was simple cardboard. On the side of each box a number was printed, along with a date and some kind of barcode. The smell of dust and age was overwhelming, so much so that Nick found himself having to choke back several coughing fits or risk sending up a cloud of dust that would no doubt suffocate them all. Even Judy seemed to notice the smell of age, her nose wrinkling slightly as they moved deeper into the room. “and the 227 means means the case was open for 227 days before being shelved.”

The possum came to a stop, gesturing to the large box filled shelf in front of them. Coming to a stop next to the possum Nick couldn't help himself. “what does the 0 at the end mean?”

The possum shrugged. “means your case is so old it was before our computer system. So I hope you like reading handwritten notes.”

Nick’s eyes narrowed slightly. “again, truly life and death work you do here.”

The possum glared at him again, this time looking truly offended. “anyways. It's in here.” he gestured to the shelf in front of them that was stacked and crammed full of boxes. “knock yourselves out.”

The possum moved, glaring at Nick as he turned to leave. As he stalked past Nick could easily hear him mutter of, “asshole fox.”

As the possum walked away Judy called after him. “where are you going?”

The possum had vanished from view now, but they could still hear him call back in response. “you're investigators. Investigate and find it yourselves.”

At this Nick rolled his eyes. Next to him Judy glared up at him. “you just had to screw with him didn't you?”

Smiling to himself Nick began to look at the numbers on the nearby boxes. “you know you love me for it.”

From her spot on the next shelf over Judy huffed. “do I though?”

The archives were truly dusty, way more than Nick had assumed when they'd first come back here. Several of the boxes actually changed colors when he knelt down to read the numbers on then, a result of his breath removing some of the ancient layers of dust. “find anything?”

Nick shook his head, more to himself than anything else. “nope. You?”

Judy huffed again. “nope. You really shouldn't have mocked that guy. He could be hel-ah!”

The cry of surprise made Nick whip around. It took him a split second to see what was happening. One of the shelves had been unstable and with them touching and moving boxes it had finally given way and was now falling directly towards Judy who had fallen on her back when the shelf board had given way. “CARROTS!”

he acted without thinking, his heart hammering in his throat as he dove towards the smaller bunny. He didn't have time to move her, the shelf was almost on top of her. No choice, he'd have to-

The weight of the shelf slammed into his back, making pain lance through his spine. He growled at the pain, willing it to go away. Above him the heavy metal and wood shelf groaned, making his legs and arm shake with the effort of holding it up. A second later a cloud of dust filled the air, making him cough and gag as his lungs burned and twitched. Again he grunted, struggling to hold up the weight of the shelf. “c-c-carrots?”

A moment later he felt a wave of relief as Judy's voice responded. “I..*cough* im...o- *cough*. Im ok.”

Despite their situation Nick felt a breath of relief leave him, one he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The dust was clearing now, a little, maybe; he could see Judy now. His partner was under him, still on her back, her eyes wide as she looked up at him. “n-Nick.”

He chuckled, trying to make it seem like he was ok. “I know, I know, im so charming even shelves fall for m-”

Above him the shelf groaned. At this Nick growled, the feeling of weight on his back increasing. “butmaybeyoucanhelpmeout?”

His voice came out rushed, worry about his rapidly diminishing strength making him talk faster than he meant to. He watched as Judy looked at him before moving, working her was up and-

He did his best not to blush as she leaned up, her chest slightly rubbing and touching him. Despite the situation he felt his body react, his tail tingling and stiffening at the contact while another part of him; “Not. The. Time.”

He growled each word to himself, willing hiss body's reaction to end. Luckily the steadily growing weight on his back was an excellent distraction. He ground his teeth as he watched Judy use her feet, kicking several boxes away from them. When the shelf had fallen they'd been buried and now Nick could see almost nothing but dusty old boxes all around him. “hang on Nick, I have an idea!”

He could hear the worry in her voice. He tried to take it away. “hehehehe *cough* no rush. Used *cough* do stuff like *cough* at the academy.” he could hear here moving around, pulling boxes away from the shelves, allowing a little bit of air into the cave of boxes that had formed around them. Lion christ the wave of ‘fresh’ air felt good. More movement now, the sound of Judy fiddling with...something.

“Nick, you might feel the shelf move a bit.” he grunted in acknowledgement. The slightly rush of strength he'd gotten from the rush of new air was fading, fast. He could hear Judy moving, a slight rattling sound coming from whatever it was she was doing above him. Suddenly the weight of the shelf shifted, becoming lighter; considerably lighter. He grunted in effort, pushing off the floor and up into the shelf. He could feel it moving the boxes that were against his back were moving upwards. He struggled against them, managing to push them back and up until they feel away. He coughed and gasped, blinking in the now suddenly blinding light. Blearily he looked around. Judy was standing behind him, offering her hand for him to take. Still coughing Nick accepted the hand, allowing Judy to help him up and out of the gap she had made in the back of the shelf. “you ok?”

He breathed inhaled, the wave of cool air helping him to feel better. “y-yeah. Thanks.” as he spoke Nick moved, dusting off his uniform sending a small shower of dust onto the ground. A second later a new sensation flickered through him, a hand running through the fur on his head. He shuddered, half leaning into the touch as hid tail wagged weakly. “thanks for saving me Nick.”

The hand left his head and reality came back. Oh lion christ, he'd moaned and wagged his tail while she'd petted his head. Biting his lip Nick smiled sheepishly down at Judy, rubbing his arm to try and buy himself some time to think of a response. “what are partners for?”

She smiled at him and he smiled back. Again Nick bit his lip. He could feel his heartbeat in his chest, thumping against ribs. She was looking at him, and even though they were both so covered in dust that their fur looked brown he could not help but think she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. “j-j-Judy…” he wanted to say it, to tell her about his feelings. He was pretty sure she felt similarly, at least a little. Now was the time, the perfect time to tell her.

“hey, isn't that the box we need?” Reality snapped back to him, making him blink as Judy moved past him before kneeling down next to a box. He felt his stomach clench slightly, he'd missed his chance. He should have told her. “yeah it is, box 1012712270.”

He nodded, his ears flicking to the side trying to hide his disappointment. “y-yeah it is.”

He watched as Judy picked up the box, hefting the box over her shoulder even though the box was almost as big as she was. Smiling at her actions he moved, touching the top of the box to help steady it. “need a hand carrots?”

From under the box Judy spoke. “just keep it level. That will help most.”

He smiled again. “whatever you say.”

It took them about five minutes to find their way out of the maze of shelves and boxes. Closing the gate behind them Nick looked up as the possum's voice reached his ears. “the hell was that crashing sound?”

Feeling his tail bristle slightly with anger Nick huffed and spoke dryly. “a lawsuit waiting to happen pal. Be glad we can't sue.”

He didn't wait for a response, ignoring him as the possum rushed down the hallway to the archives. From under the box he heard Judy speak. “shouldn't we-”

But he cut her off, tipping the box forward a bit making his partner step forward or risk dropping it. “nope. Not our monkey, not our problem.”

Still, as he pulled open the door and moved to step out the cry of, “LION CHRIST!” made him smile. Getting the box to the car Nick helped the cardboard container into the back seat before looking to Judy. She was still coated in a fine layer of dust, and as he glanced the way they'd come Nick could clearly see a small trail of dusty footprints.

“hey…” he reached out, dusting a small bit of dust from the top of her head, as she had done for him. Was it his imagination or, was she leaning against his touch? Swallowing nervously Nick moved his hand, letting it fall to his side. “should we go back or…” as his voice trailed off he tugged lightly at his uniform shirt which was still coated in dust.

In front of him Judy looked down at herself. “lets get cleaned first. We can use my apartment.”

Nodding in agreement Nick moved, allowing Judy to take the wheel. In truth he knew where she lived, he dropped her off from work enough to know that. Nevermind the dreams he had of running that route, grabbing Judy at the door to the building and kissing her, confessing his love to her, and-

“here we are.”

Blinking in surprise he jerked. Indeed they had arrived and were now parked in front of the redbrick building Judy called home. Slowly getting out of the car Nick remained silent, following Judy up the steps, through the lobby, up more stairs and finally to the dark green door that marked Judy's apartment. He shifted nervously, watching as Judy pulled out her key and slotted it into the lock. As the lock clicked and opened Nick felt his heart rate jump again for the second time in the last hour. Following her inside Nick kept his eyes down, looking at the floorboards as he followed the sound of Judy's feet.

He'd been in her apartment loads of times, why was he so nervous this time? They'd watched movies here, cooked...well tried to cook here, hell they'd even been drunk in this apartment together. Why then did the idea of looking up make his heart beat even faster than it already was? “so did you wanna shower?”

The words were like a lightning bolt to his brain, making him jerk and look up at her. At the same time his tail bristled again as the image of him and Judy sharing a shower rapidly built itself in his mind. She couldn't mean….could she? She was looking at him, a cute if not slightly awkward look on her face. “I….you….shower?”

Lion christ he sounded like a kit again, Stuttering and nervous like it was his first day of school. In front of his Judy shifted slightly to gesture to the bathroom. “yeah. Did you wanna go first?”

Oh...of course that's what she'd meant. Why would she mean anything else? The image of him and Judy in the shower imploded, dissolving into random thoughts as he looked at her. After a few moments he shook his head slowly. “no. You're apartment. You can go first.”

Judy smiled and fidgeted a little. “ok. See you in a few minutes.”

He watched as she moved away, heading into the small built in bathroom and closing the door behind her. Mentally Nick groaned. A part of him, a very loud part of him wanted to go to the door push it open and demand to shower with her. After all, bathrooms were dangerous; she could fall or… get soap in her eyes or… hit her head… or…

He growled at himself, his hand balling into a fist and striking his forehead gently. “head out of the gutter wilde. No girl likes a pervert.” but unwelcome in his mind came another image, of him and Judy in the shower their lips pressed together in a passionate-

“no. No. No.” again he struck his forehead with his fist. He needed something to do. To focus his mind on something, ANYTHING but the bunny in the next room who was probably naked… and wet… and so-

He turned on his heel, quickly rushing out of the apartment and down the stairs. Stupid brain, stupid pervy thoughts, stupid foxy wants. He'd scare her if she ever found out what he was thinking. She sure as shit wouldn't want to be his partner anymore. Back down on the street Nick pulled open the cruiser's backdoor, dragging the box of evidence out of the car and balancing it carefully on his shoulders and the top of his head.

“hey fox, what do you think you-”

He shifted, tugging at his badge which was attached to a retractable lanyard; showing it to whoever had spoke. “i'm with the ZPD. Its fine.”

the voice was silent for a moment before, “oh. Sorry officer.”

He let his badge go, allowing it to retract back into place. “it's fine.” he didn't stay there any longer, hurrying back up the stairs and into Judy's building. That wasn't the first time someone had stopped him. It had happened a lot during his first few weeks with the ZPD. people saw a fox tail sticking out of a police cruiser and then immediately thought he was stealing something or an escaping criminal. For the most part he ignored it, trying not to let the prejudices get to him. Judy had been much less cool about it. A smile spread across his lips as he recalled a time when a citizen had taken it upon themselves to perform a citizen's arrest of the criminal fox impersonating an officer of the ZPD. That was about as close to losing it as he'd ever seen Judy get. Her whole face had turned bright red, her ears had stood straight up and her whole body had shook with anger as she'd ordered the rhino; who had been holding him off the ground, to release her partner.

Hurrying through building Nick pushed the door to Judy's apartment open, hefting the box into the apartment before sliding up onto a small coffee table. Straightening up Nick felt his back pop slightly, the feeling of dust in his fur making his skin itch slightly. Now he could really use a shower. But he focused on the box instead, finding that a small sleeve with a scrap of paper was attached to the top. Undoing the small plastic clasp Nick reached in, pulling out a small piece of paper from the sleeve. It looked to be some kind of register, a list of 40 or so names stared back at him. At the top of the list in slightly faded font the words ‘case checkout log’ were stamped. Ok, so these names were cops who had checked out the case, interesting.

Scanning the list of names Nick found that unsurprisingly he didn't recognise most of them. One had the same last name as a rookie that had joined the SWAT team, perhaps a relative? Another matched a grizzled and aging hyena he and Judy had worked with a few months ago. And...Nick paused as he came to a name ‘arthur bogo’. He frowned at the name, could it be...the Chief? A slight smile spread across his face, he'd have to remember the Chief's first name, perhaps he could use it as a ‘get out of this conversation’ someday. Quickly finding a pen on Judy's nightstand Nick added his and Judy's name to the list. The box itself was only sealed with an evidence sticker, one that his claw made quick work of. Pulling the box open Nick looked down at its contents. He could see several dusty case books, a few folders, a couple ancient and half decayed with age paper bags.

Reaching into the box he picked up one of the case books. The paper felt gritty in his hands, and as he opened the pages he caught a faint whiff of the last cop to open it; a bobcat maybe? Glancing at the first yellowing page Nick found a list of things that were supposed to be in the box. Three case notebooks (ome half filled), one folder containing six crime scene photos (below that a list of the photos), the murder weapon a .38 short nosed revolver, and a few others bits and ends. Flicking forward a few pages Nick began to read one of the entries.

 

_06/17/53_

 

_No new breaks. Went back and interviewed sister of male victim. Girl is still hysterical and in shock. Probably won't go back again, seems wrong to keep bringing up her brother's death. Simons wants to drag the owner of the lounge in again, make the mongoose sweat for a few hours. makes sense since he was losing his star. And he a damned weasel, gotta be hiding something or working some angle._

 

Frowning at the entry Nick looked bAck into the box, reaching down to pull out the folder of photos. Opening the folder Nick slowly looked through the photos. They were about what he expected. In the yellowing and aged acetate he could see a cat and mouse. Both of them were lying on the floor, the mouse with a large red stain over her shoulder, while the cat had a similar red stain over his chest. But something about the picture seemed…off. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the cat. If he had been shot in the chest he would have been expected to fall backwards onto his back. But the cat was on his stomach, and a smeary trail of blood made it clear that he'd tried to move. But not towards the door but instead towards the mouse.

“what are those?” The sound of Judy's voice coming from just to his left made him jump, the photos fluttering and drifting through the air as he snatched at them in a near panic. Next to him he heard Judy giggle. “awww, did I scare the poor widdle fox?”

Putting the photos back together Nick turned to look at Judy. “no. There was a bug…”

His voice trailed off slightly as he took in the sight before him. Again he felt a stirring within him. Judy was wearing what were very clearly pajama; some simple black sweats and a grey tank top shirt that was a few sizes to big. The effect was that one of the shoulders of the tank top hung down, partially exposing the side of Judy's chest; nothing lewd but enough to hint at what was under the shirt. Her fur was still damp but not soaking and he could smell the scent of her perfume, a slightly flowery citrus smell. He swallowed nervously, his throat almost painfully dry. Mentally he willed his tail to stay limp and casual; just this once.

In front of him he watched as Judy gestured over her shoulder towards the open door of the bathroom. “bathroom is yours. Sorry I don't have any male shampoo.”

He blinked at her words for a moment before responding. “i-its ok. I'll try not to be to long.”

He practically ran to the bathroom closing the door perhaps a tad harder than he'd meant to. A second later he leaned forward, planting his forehead against the door and letting out a deep wanting groan. He could feel it, the gnawing twisting want inside him. It was wrong and against regulation and would probably make her hate him but; lion chriiiiiiiiiist he wanted her. She looked so innocent but so impossibly unimaginably sexy in her pajamas.

“fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.”

He willed himself away from the door. Forcing himself to slowly unbutton his shirt and pants before setting them aside. His boxers came next, a slightly unwelcome but at the same time exhilarating rush passing through him as he put them aside too. So this was what it was like to be naked…in Judy's bathroom? It wasn't unpleasant that was for sure. He moved into the shower, crouching a little as he found it was a tad to small for him. But after a bit of maneuvering he found that if he knelt down on his knees he could dip his head under the shower faucet without to much difficulty. The water was warm and did wonders to relieve him of his stress. He worked quickly, running his fingers through his fur to help the now wet dust wash out. The water coming off his was a nasty grey color, but as it washed away his natural red fur began to shine and stand out. He liked his red fur, most red foxes had kinda dull or matte tinged fur, but his was glossy and had a kind of shine to it. His mom had once told him that was a sign of good luck.

He worked as quickly as he could washing the dust and grit out of his fur before stepping out of the shower and quickly toweling off with the towel Judy had left for him. Drying was always a bit of a scramble for him. If he did it fast enough he could avoid his fur poofing up and making him look ridiculous. Luckily this time he managed to dry his body and head before hr felt the familiar prickling feeling as the fur on his tail began to poof. Looking down at his pile of clothes Nick bit his lip, noting that it was becoming slightly raw from the day. His uniform was still covered in dust. Sections of looked like he'd been splattered with dye. He couldn't put them back on, but…

The sound of Judy’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “hey...um….Nick….are you done?”

Nervously he moved, wrapping the towel around his waist before calling out in response. “y-yeah.”

A moment later he watched as a small shadow appeared under the door crack as Judy say something down. “ok, um...I can run your uniform downstairs if you like. We have a washer and dryer. And in the meantime….I have some old clothes you could wear.”

He felt his heart swell from the offer. “thanks, I appreciate that.”

He could almost hear the sweet innocent smile in Judy's voice. “no problem, clothes are by the door.”

He remained silent for a moment. Listening as the sound of her footsteps moved further away. Only then did he crack the door, his hand and arm feeling around for the clothes for a moment. As his fingers brushed a bit of fabric Judy's voice met his ears. “do you want me to run your uniform through a defurrer too?”

The sound of her voice made him look up, his eyes locking onto hers a moment later. Instantly it felt like he might as well not be wearing the towel. It felt like she could see every part of him, like every inch of his entire being was on display for her all knowing eyes. He shuddered under her gaze, his skin feeling like it was covered in bugs. Quickly he grabbed the clothes she'd left for him and hurriedly closed the door now alone in the bathroom again Nick slowly sat back on the cold tile floor. This was getting out of hand. He couldn't even look at her without feeling….things.

He closed his eyes, balling his paws into fists before pressing them against his face. He needed to keep himself under control. If he kept acting this way he was sure Judy would figure out what was wrong. And….

It wasn't fair. Sure he hadn't been a great person before, but he'd never done anything terrible. But it felt like he was being punished for his past now. Punished by having feelings for not just his partner but a partner who was a prey species. He pressed his hands against his face even harder. It wasn't fair. Zootopia was supposed to be a city of equality where everyone got along. But it wasn't, and one thing that divided the city down the middle was predator and prey relationships. While the official stance by the city government was that it was completely legal and ok, many businesses did reserve the right and exercise it to deny predator and prey couples services. Hell. Just last week he and Judy had been called to a scene where a couple had been forcibly removed from a bar.

He forced himself to breath, to take deep breaths and do his best to take his feelings by the throat and push them as far down as he possibly could. He needed to stay calm. He was her partner. She needed to be able to trust him. And that trust would be gone the very second she figured out what was going on in his head. He needed to be her partner, before everything else he was her PARTNER. That helped, giving him something to focus on. Slowly he got dressed, noting that the clothes Judy had given him fit rather well. As his hand touched the doorknob he took another breath. Partner, he was her partner.

Pulling open the door Nick stepped out of the bathroom, shivering slightly as the cool air rushed over his still damp fur. Judy was sitting on her bed, her head down as she looked over one of the casebooks. “good read?”

She looked up at him, a slightly expression of confusion on her face. “not...really.”

Something in her tone was off, a sound she didn't usually use. Cocking his head Nick set his clothes on the floor before moving closer. “what's wrong.”

Judy looked back down at the casebook for a moment, her face wrinkling in confusion. “you know how the first thing we do after a crime is ask people if they saw anything?”

Nick nodded. “standard procedure.”

Judy shook her head. “they didn't do that this time. And you know how we ask everyone close to the victims if they knew of anyone who had any ill will towards them?”

Again Nick nodded and Judy shook her head. “they didn't do that either. In fact….” she flipped through the pages of the casebook. “there is barely any police work in here at all. Its like they got to the crime scene took one look at what happened. Declared it a murder. Declared the male victim the perpetrator and then closed the case.”

It was Nick’s turn to frown now. “then how was the case open for 227 days?”

Judy shook her head. “cause it looks like some people weren't satisfied by that answer. There's several reports of a Marcus Dawson in here. A friend of the male victim who insisted that someone else was the killer.”

Nick nodded slowly. “ok, so we find this Marcus Dawson and ask him why he was so sure.”

Judy looked up at him. A slight look of uncertainty covering her face. “this case is 60 years old Nick. How do we know this guy is still alive?”

Nick grinned. “we don't need to know. We just have to ask google.” quickly he got out his phone rapidly typing the name ‘Marcus Dawson’ followed by ‘zootopia’ and after a moment of quick mental math ‘1948’. He watched as the phone thought for a moment before, “found a match. He's a coyote, lives up in Gold estates.” he looked at her a slight smirk covering his face. Sometimes it felt good to out think the one who'd gotten him into this job. “Wanna go talk to him?”


	2. Marcus Dawson

as their cruiser came to a stop Nick paused for a moment to look at the large iron ornate gate with wild looping letters spelling out ‘Gold estates’. It had taken almost an hour to get their uniforms clean, but they'd spent that time looking over the old crime scene photos and reading several of entries in the case logs. Judy had indeed been right, the various entries were more personal thoughts than hard information as well as grumbling that the case was being kept open for so long. Now the sun hung in the midday sky casting long shadows on the patch of pavement where they stood. “look.”

Judy's voice directed Nick's attention to a small placard next to the iron gate. The words ‘for assistance please ring’ were on the placard and a small button jutted out from the stone pillar. Glancing at his partner Nick moved forward and pressed the button, a soft musical tone playing a second later. At the sound of the tone Judy spoke. “do you thinks this is a private residence or-”

But the rest of her sentence was cut off by a polite voice. “This resort is not owned by any one individual young miss but by a committee who oversees its expenditures. How may I be of assistance to you ma'am.”

The voice came from their right, but as they turned to look they found no one there. It was Nick who spoke first. “we wanna talk to someone in there, official police business.”

The polite voice was silent for a moment before responding. “oh dear, I shall allow you entry. The estate manager shall meet you at the entrance. Please follow the path.”

A moment later there was a soft clicking sound and the gate began to slide back. This time it was Judy's turn to glance at him. “he's polite at least.”

Nick rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure he knew what they'd find at the entrance to the resort. “come on.”

Starting their way up the path Nick felt his fur prickle slightly as the gate clicked shut behind them. The path was shaded, large tropical trees and fauna growing along the trail offering shade and cooler temperatures than the streets they'd just come from. Off in the distance Nick's ears could pick up the soft sounds of a brook or a stream. Next to him Judy looked uneasy too. “this place….seems strange. Its too…”

“artificial.” he finished her sentence for her and she nodded in agreement. They moved quickly, soon stepping off the as they found themselves in front of a large circular building. The sides of the building appeared to be polished marble, which gleamed in the sunlight as if it were coated in an array of jewels. In front of a set of double doors stood a meerkat, obviously waiting for them.

As they neared the meerkat it spoke, its voice calm and polite. “good day officers. I do hope you won't find it to rude, but may I request to see your badges before you proceed any further?”

It was a common request, one they had grown used to. Holding up his badge Nick watched as the meerkat inspected them for a moment before smiling again. “thank you. How may I be of assistance? The gate guard mentioned...official police business?”

Nodding Judy spoke. “we need to speak to one of your guests. A Marcus Dawson.”

The meerkat nodded. “ah, sir Dawson. I do hope he hasn't broken any laws. Such conduct would force us to revoke his membership.”

At this Judy shook her head. “oh no, he didn't do anything wrong. We just wanna talk to him about what he knows.”

The meerkat nodded again before looking to Nick. “if you'd like I can have sir Dawson brought to the clubhouse. Or I can show you to his residence.”

Nick ground his teeth slightly. He hated people like this meerkat. All smiles and kind words, all of it an act to please those around them. More artificiality, just like everything else about this place. Picking up on his silence Judy stepped forward a little to take the lead. “we'd like to speak to him at his residence.”

The meerkat nodded again. “very well. I can have a cart brought around to take you there now.”

Nick huffed annoyedly. “keep your cart. We have a car. We'll just use th-”

The meerkat's eyes widened and a tone of alarm flickered through his voice. “I'm afraid I cannot allow that sir.”

Nick's eyes narrowed, the fur on his back prickling slightly. “are you trying to impede our work,  _ jeeves _ ?”

The meerkat’s eyes narrowed as well, yet his tone of voice returned to it's calm and polite inflection. “my apologies sir. I should have introduced myself. My name as Walter C Dormaze. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. As for your investigation, I would never dream of impending it. However, personal vehicles are not permitted within the grounds of thi s resort. The men and women who come here, do so to get away from the hustle and cacophony of their normal lives. As such we do not permit personal vehicles on the grounds. But as I said, I can have a cart brought around to take you to Sir Dawson's home.”

Again Nick ground his teeth. Damned rich people. Again as if sensing his anger Judy took charge. “that would be great. Thank you.”

The meerkat nodded and bowed. “of course ma'am. I shall have it brought around at once.” at that the meerkat turned and left, walking back into the building and out of sight. 

As the meerkat vanished Judy looked at him sideways. “what's up with you Nick? He's just being polite.”

Nick growled and shook his head. “no. He's being fake. He smiles and bows and says nice words. But it's all an act. He's just wearing a mask, hiding how he really is.” as he spoke Nick gestured to the surrounding area. “this whole place, is fake. It's not a place to relax. It's a place for the super wealthy to flaunt their money in each others faces and laugh at us poor people. It's a place where everyone is fake and pretending to be something they're not. And I HATE people who are fake, and I hate rich people. Always looking down at others, treating them like toys or tools. And then throwing them away when they aren't any fun or have no use anymore. They-”

He wanted to say more. Wanted to tell Judy of the abuses he'd seen on the streets at the hands of the people that lived in these kinds of places. How he and his mom may have lived with almost no money to spare, but still managed to do more for others than anyone living in a place like this. His hands were balled into fists and his mouth was parted slightly in an angry pant. No, now was not the time. Later, when they were off duty maybe… and drunk… but not now. Forcing himself to take a deep breath Nick willed his hands to unclench. From where she stood Judy spoke softly. “you really don't like rich people.”

Nick shook his head. “I don't like anyone who measures someone's worth in a dollar amount. Someone like that… they're more of a predator than I could ever be.”

She was looking at him again, and for the second time today he felt as if he was naked again and her eyes could see every part of him. He shifted a bit, trying unsuccessfully to ignore her piercing gaze. Luckily he was saved from the gaze by the sound of a quickly approaching electric motor. Sure enough a moment later the meerkat returned, smiling pleasantly at them as the golf cart he was driving came to a stop. “let us be off.”

Moving towards the cart Nick watched as the meerkat held out his hand, offering to help Judy into the padded passenger seat. With a slight spark of defiance he noted that Judy did not accept the offered hand as she took her spot. The spark grew a bit more as he noted the meerkat looking momentarily surprised. Rolling his eyes Nick clambered onto the cart, hunching over slightly so he could sit on the back of the cart with his feet off the ground. The engine whirred too life and a moment later they were moving again. They drove along the building, following its curved wall until they were almost completely behind it. “This resort has a layout similar to that of the city. There are a few different biomes and climates to cater to everyone's ideal conditions.” as he spoke the meerkat steered the cart sideways, leaving the paved walkway of the building and driving them onto a dirt path. Grunting slightly Nick gripped one of poles holding up the roof of the cart. He wasn't entirely sure the meerkat hadn't done this on purpose, giving Judy the nice seat while he was left to be bumped and jostled like a sock in a dryer. Above him he noted a series of buildings built into the trees, no doubt homes for the club's jungle dwelling patrons.

Above the slight rattling of the cart Nick heard Judy speak. “can you tell us anything about Mr Dawson?”

The meerkat responded a moment later. “our clients pay a lot of money for the privacy this resort offers. So I cannot reveal any personal information, although…I can say he is a bit of an eccentric.”

At this Nick's ears flipped backwards, swiveling backwards so he could hear what was being said better. Judy responded a second later. “eccentric how?”

The meerkat was silent for a moment before answering. “we have a full staff on call here. Gardeners, chiefs, cleaning crews, personal trainers, private shoppers; all of them with the sole goal of making our clients lives as easy as they can be. Mr Dawson however prefers to do several of those tasks on his own. He does his own gardening, cleaning and shopping. Although his advancing age has meant we've needed to help him a little more than before.”

The scenery was changing now, gone was the dense jungle and looming trees. They were in a forest now, the trees were more spread out with moss and large boulders jutting up from the ground. With a bit of effort Nick pulled his legs up a little higher, not wanting the suddenly damp and slightly muddy ground to dirty them. As they passed through a small clearing Nick found that he could just make out the shape of a small cottage a ways away, a family of deer tossing a ball between themselves before they vanished from sight.

“how long as Mr Dawson been a member of this… group?” Judy’s voice pulled him back to the case.

The meerkat was again silent, no doubt thinking about if it was ok to answer or not. After a moment, “about 15 years I'd say. We're almost there.”

Again the land had changed, the damp forest giving way to a wide open grassland. Despite his irritation with the members of the club Nick could not help but perk up slightly at the grasslands around him. He'd always liked open spaces like this, they felt more natural to him. In the distance he could see a few homes setup, some of them burrow style. It was here that the meerkat turned the wheel, slowing slightly as he took them down a slightly more narrow path and to one of the homes that had been dug into the ground. As the kart came to a stop the meerkat spoke. “when you are finished, have Mr Dawson place a call to the front desk and we'll have another cart brought around to take you back to the entrance.”

Clambering off the cart Nick groaned and rubbed his leg which was slightly numb from the bump ride and being folded. As the cart drove off back the way they'd come he and Judy turned, looking at the house for a moment. It seemed to be a standard burrow style home. A mound of dirt had been piled up, then packed firmly together and covered in grasses. Then a small tunnel had been dug under the mound and no doubt various rooms were right under their feet. “hello? Marcus Dawson, this is the ZPD. We'd like to talk with you.”

Nick smiled as Judy leaned Into the tunnel slightly as she called out. After a few moments a soft voice responded, not from inside the home but instead seeming to be on the other side of the mount. “I'm out back. Come around.”

Looking at each other for a moment Nick and Judy moved, with Judy taking a slight lead as they moved around the sizable mound. In the back of the mount a small wooden platform had been constructed. Along the platform several planters had been setup, filled with flowers in various degrees of bloom. The platform had a few chairs for people to sit, and a small set of stairs leading back into the mount. But it was the person kneeling on the deck that drew Nick and Judy's attention. The person's back was to them, busy working in one of the planters, but they could easily see the brown and wheat colored fur along with a tail that weaved slightly as the coyote worked. As they stepped up onto the deck the coyote slowly got to his feet before stretching, the sounds of several joints popping loudly reached their ears. As the coyote released the stretched he turned to look at them. “hello.”

Putting on a pleasant face Nick allowed Judy to take the lead. She had always been better at talking to people. When he did it they tended to get suspicious. “hello sir. We're from the ZPD. We'd like to talk to you.”

The coyote raised an eyebrow, his tail flicking casually behind him. “I do hope it's nothing serious officers. I don't think i've broken any laws lately. Although I did tell a very rude shrew where he could go if he ever tried to mug me again.” At this Nick raised and eyebrow. The coyote was clearly older, easily in his mid or late 60s. If he'd managed to fend off a mugger, there must be more to him than it appeared. Remaining silent Nick watched as the older coyote slowly moved, a small limp in his step as he made his way to one of the chairs before sitting back down. After a moment the coyote groaned softly. “getting old is no fun. Anyways, how can I help you officers? Oh, where are my manners, would you like to sit down?” as he spoke he gestured to the remaining chairs on the deck.

Slowly taking a seat Nick remained silent, watching the coyote’s body language and features. He and Judy had worked this out long ago. She was better at talking to people, her smaller size and female voice making them feel calmer. Meanwhile he'd watch them, his past as a hustler making him keenly aware of people's body language and other minute details others might miss. From the chair shed sat down in Judy spoke. “Mr Dawson, we'd like to speak to you about a murder.”

At this Mr Dawson shifted, a look of surprise spreading over his face. At the same time Nick noted the way the coyote’s tail shifted, stiffening slightly but not completely. When he responded Mr Dawson’s voice had a slight hint to it. “a murder? I hope you officers don't think I killed anyone. That weasel was very much alive when I hit him over the head.”

Judy shook her head. “no sir. This is about an old murder. One that happened 60 or so years ago.”

There was no mistaking it now, even a, blind mouse would have seen the way the coyote’s eyes narrowed at Judy's word. His tail stiffened again, but when he spoke a tone of fatigue had crept into his inflection. “officers, are you here to ask me about the murders of Jack and Anna?”

It was minute, almost imperceptible but for a moment Nick watched as a flicker of anger, annoyance, pain and fatigue washed through Mr Dawson’s face. From her chair Judy nodded. “Yes, we are.”

In front of them Mr Dawson sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping. After a moment he looked up at them, his voice calm but with a hint of exasperation in it. “then I will tell you what I have told all the other police officers who have come to question me in the last 60 years.” he fixed them both with a fierce and almost defiant stare. “Jack did not murder Anna Dunwitty. He couldn't have.”

Judy cocked her head slightly. “what do you mean ‘other officers’? Do police come around here often?”

Mr Dawson shrugged. “not so much since I moved here. one reason I did so, mind you. But before id have at least two or three sets of cops or private investors questioning me about it every year. Each of them with their own theories of what happened and the delusion that they would solve this case and make a name for themselves. I stopped believing them a long time ago. But since you have me here, please; what is your theory on the murders? Was the girl a hooker Jack had hired for the night? Was it a drug deal gone wrong? Perhaps she was a mistress? Or maybe a secret love child or long lost relative?” as he spoke a note of anger crept into the coyote’s words. 

Judy looked sideways at Nick before looking back to the elderly coyote. “we don't have any theories yet. We were just given the case and are trying to gather information.”

Mr Dawson raised an eyebrow at that, an expression of visible surprise flickering across his face. “assigned? You mean you were ordered to investigate the case?”

Judy nodded. “yes. Is that strange? You say others have questioned you many times.”

At this Mr Dawson let out a small laugh. “young lady, those officers were not questioning me for their job. They didn't really care about anything I had to say, not if it didn't fit their theory. They only cared about the case as far as Jack’s name was concerned and what solving the case would get them.”

Again Judy and Nick looked sideways at each other. It felt like they were missing something. Something that should have been obvious but had somehow slipped their attention. As if he could sense their uncertainty Mr Dawson spoke, a slight tone of amusement creeping into his voice. “you... don't know who Jack is, do you?”

They both looked at him before shaking their heads. A smile slowly spread across the elderly coyote’s face. “then…. Perhaps you will have better luck than the others. As for who Jack was, his name was Jack Magnus.” when they showed no signs of comprehension he continued. “as in Magnus steel and industry.” a second after hearing the name Nick's eyes went wide with shock. Before he could stop himself he spoke. 

“no fucking way.”

Across from him Mr Dawson chuckled. “yes fucking way.”

Judy looked from the coyote to Nick. “what? I don't get it. His family runs some kind of business?”

Nodding slowly Nick turned to look at his partner. “Magnus steel and industry is one of the oldest companies in the city. They mostly smelt and refine steel for construction but they also have dozens of factories and other businesses to their name. They helped build Zootopia. Literally.”

When Judy continued to look slightly confused Mr Dawson elaborated. “young lady, back when Zootopia was first being constructed, Magnus steel was the only local source of the material. As such, everyone building in the area had to buy their steel from them or spend hugely expensive amounts of money and effort to have the metal shipped in. Because of this the Magnus family became wealthy. very very VERY wealthy. At the height of construction the Magnus family was THE wealthiest family in the city. To this day they still control an enormous fortune as well as massive political and economical power here in the city. Look at the records for your home, the Magnus family probably helped build it.”

It was Judy's turn to look shocked. In response the coyote chuckled again. “neither of you knew who Jack was?”

They both shook their heads. Of course they'd seen the name Magnus, but no where in the notes had it mentioned his family. Again the coyote chuckled a slightly far off look filling his eyes. “then…. perhaps you can finally bring justice to my best friend. It is rather overdue. Then again… it has been 60 years, so perhaps justice is too much to hope for.”

At this Judy frowned slightly. “Mr Dawson, you said Jack couldn't have murdered that woman. What makes you say that?”

Mr Dawson sighed, again that expression of fatigue and pain covering his face but this time visible and no longer hidden or suppressed. “that… is a very long story. And I confess I don't know all of it.” the coyote trailed off for a moment, his eyes searching the air for a moment in thought before continuing. “I suppose it all started…”

 

\------

 

All around them the city was dark. They'd long since turned off the roads that were lit and considered safe and after they'd parked the car they'd taken they had continued on foot. The sounds and sights of the city surrounded them. Music coming from an open door, a soft flickering candle light dancing in a window, the soft voices of people talking as they wandered around the darkened street. Sighing softly Jack turned to look at his friend. “alright, it's been almost an hour. Why have you dragged me here Marcus?”

Next to him his best friend Marcus rolled his eyes. “have you no sense of adventure or mystery Jack? Trust me, this outing will do you good.”

At this Jack raised an eyebrow. “if that were true we could have stayed in the more...established part of town. Why have you really brought me here Marcus?” he gave his friend a sideways look for a moment before continuing. “I do hope you aren't going to do anything like back in Manehatten, i'd rather not spend the night in the drunk tank.”

In response Marcus rolled his eyes. “it was one night. And bedsides, we had the cell to ourselves and left unviolated or molested the next day.”

This time it was Jack's turn to roll his eyes. “only because the officer knew who we were and didn't wish to anger our parents. I promise you had we been anyone else, such an adventure as you call it would not have been so pleasant. So I'll ask you again. Why have you brought me here Marcus?”

This time Marcus scowled at his feline friend. “for the last week i've watched you mope and sulk no matter where we go or do The movies, out for food, to the park or the country club. Even my usual flamboyant charm and jests have done nothing to alleviate the dark cloud settled over your head. And frankly...I say this with love Jacky boy but im sick of it. So, for tonight I have brought us here to the… as you so kindly put it, less established part of town so that we might throw off our names and titles for a night, get roaring and staggeringly drunk and maybe just maybe you'll stop being such a depressing gloomy little shit of a prince. MAYBE. Probably not but maybe.”

Jack sighed deeply. He knew his friend had good intentions. But it was hard to find a reason not to be sad or upset. Not with everything going on around them. The near constant grinding, whirring, humming, screeching sounds of the city’s construct was almost enough to drive anyone to insanity. The air was thick with smoke and ash from the factories that produced a nearly constant stream of the necessary metals and other materials needed to build the massive buildings and infrastructure for the virgining city; the first of its kind in the country. But it was more than that, more than the sickening smell of industrial progress or the nearly maddening drone of people blathering on and on about how great the city would be once it was finished; in another 10 or 15 years. No, what bothered him more was the knowledge of how the city was being built. While people like him enjoyed a privileged and comfortable able life others were being exploited and living in squalor all in the hopes that the city they were slaving to build would be different than the one that had-

“GAH!”

Second later Jack found himself ripped from his thoughts, as a lance of pain flickered through him. Spinning around he growled as he found Marcus had ducked behind him while he'd been thinking and had grabbed and  pulled on his tail. Hissing loudly Jack pulled his tail free of his friend's grip. “you pulled my tail?! What are you twelve?”

Across from Marcus laughed. “you were glowering again. Come on Jack, lighten up for tonight. Look, despite what you think you cannot solve the world's or even this cities problems in a single night. So relax, get drunk and have some fun. And tomorrow you can go back to being a sour puss.”

Continuing to glare at his friend for a moment Jack sighed. He knew Marcus was trying to help, and he did appreciate the effort. “very well. We shall get drunk and be merry tonight.” Marcus smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but Jack cut him off. His voice becoming a bit dramatic. “BUT,” Jack pointed a finger at his friend sternly. “so help me Marcus if this is another back alley establishment that caters to you and your particular predilections and fancies then I shall take the car, leave you here and go straight to your dear gran and tell her about all the debauchery her nephew enjoys.”

He was half joking but also half serious. It had happened a few times before and while Marcus had wandered off with some handsome gentleman he'd been left alone in an establishment where all eyes were on him. In front of him Marcus laughed. “I swear it is not. Although, don't act like you didn't have fun at the last one. We both did.”

Raising an eyebrow at his friend Jack began to move again, allowing Marcus to guide him along the darkened streets. “you and I have VERY different kinds of fun that night. I did not spend an hour and a half upstairs with the obsidian panther.”

Again Marcus laughed. “you could have joined us. He said you were cute. Even offered you a discount if I recall.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “no thank you. I'd rather not share conquests with my best friend.”

This time Marcus rolled his eyes. A short time later Marcus steered them down a small path, leading up to a small single story building with lights on inside and a hanging lanterns next to the door illuminating the words ‘The Drip Tap House’. Falling in line behind Marcus Jack followed his friend through the door and into the makeshift bar. The sound of soft music hit them first, an old and worn looking phonograph sat at the far end the bar, softly sung music spilling from its trumpet. Behind the bar was a ragged looking weasel, with a large slash like scar across one eye marking his shirt matted grey fur. The bar itself was makeshift at best. The tables and chairs were a hodgepodge of various shapes and sizes, no doubt collected and scrounged from any available source. On the far side of the bar a small stage had been constructed with a simple drawn curtain that could be opened and closed for effect. The patrons of the bar were similarly hodgepodge. They could several mice, a small group of otters and, rabbits playing cards, a half drowned looking ferret sat in the corner. The only other predator patron in the place was a skinny and seedy looking rat where looked up at them from the bar. Everyone was looking at them actually, not surprising since they were predators it what was clearly a prey main establishment.

As they stepped into the bar a grunt from their right made them both turn. A large stag was sitting on a barrel glaring at them. As it got to his feet its antlers scrapped menacingly against the brick wall of the building. “what are YOU doing here?”

The stag's voice was calm, but firm. Jack nervously looked to Marcus who shrugged. “heard this place had nice drinks and good music. Thought we'd check it out.”

The stag remained silent for a moment before responding. “you heard right. But be clear on something. In this bar you leave your predator privilege at the door. You're no better than any of us. Understand?”

Both Jack and Marcus nodded. As the stag moved to sit back down Jack and Marcus moved deeper into the bar, passing a few tables before finding themselves in front of the large wooden counter. Glancing to Marcus Jack watches as his friend pulled out a few bills and put them on the counter. “my friend here needs to be drunk enough to forget his worries but sober enough to remember this night. Can you help him?”

The weasel on the other side of the bar chuckled. “sure can. Take a seat, show is gonna start soon. I'll have his elixir made up before then.”

Smiling at the weasel Marcus reached out, tugging Jack's shoulder and steering him to one of the empty tables. As they sat down the phonograph that was playing was suddenly switched off, plunging the bar into an odd silence. And then a soft female voice began to sing. In front of them the curtains covering the stage parted and.. 

 

\--------

 

“that was the first time Jack ever saw Anna. And it certainly wasn't the last.” As Mr Dawson finished the story Nick glansed to Judy. 

“so how does that prove Jack didn't kill her?”

The question was simple really and the story had done little to answer it. Across from them Mr Dawson smiled. “officer… do you know what it's like to wake up everyday and know that your are hopelessly different from everyone else? To know that you cannot change, that you might as well be a different species compared to everyone else? I do, and Jack did. Sure, it was for very different reasons mind you. But the feelings are still the same. Jack was a progressive, in a society of conservatives who felt like the world should bend over so they could step on their backs to get what they wanted. But Jack was different in another way, he didn't see a person's species as important. Now days we're all protected. The Orwel act and the Darwin laws protect us from the kinds of discrimination from the past. But back then, someone like Jack… was special. He didn't care about your species or your social status. He cared about YOU the person. The reason I say that Jack couldn't have murdered Anna is because on that night. In that bar, maybe even the very second those curtains opened; he fell in love with her.”

At this both Nick and Judy's eyes widened again. “You're say-”

Mr Dawson nodded. “yes. Jack Magnus, son of the richest and most powerful man in the city fell in love with a prey. A mouse, lounge singer from the slums. Quite the scandal.”

Those words took a moment to sink in. A predator, a rich predator; had fallen in love with a prey. It…

Nick swallowed nervously. Was it his imagination or did Mr Dawson’s eyes flicker over him, a semi knowing smiling flickering across his face. Suddenly Nick found himself very conscious of his own body language. The faint prickling of his tail, the dryness of his mouth, the way his eyes flickered over to Judy. His partner seemed to be absorbing the information as well, her lip puckered slightly; a sign she was chewing her lip. After a few moments Mr Dawson let out a small sigh. “officers…” it wasn't his imagination this time. In the span of a few seconds the coyote seemed to age 10 years. His tail hung limply off the chair, his ears lay flat against his head and his shoulders were slumped forward. The coyote looked up at them, and reflected in his aged brown eyes Nick could see years of pain. “...for 60 years i've had to deal with people coming to me asking about this case. But none of them cared, each of them saw the mystery as a way to further their own agenda. But… you didn't know who he was. So… maybe you're different. Maybe you will give Jack… my best friend the justice he's owed.”

Remaining silent Nick glanced at Judy who spoke softly. “we're going to try. Justice is our job.”

Mr Dawson shifted to look at her. After a moment he spoke. “then I will tell you something I have not told the other officers. This case… is from a time that Zootopia wishes everyone would forget. A time when prejudice, specieism, and corruption were as easy as breathing. The people you speak to… they may try to downplay their involvement in such acts. Do not be fooled. See through their lies but do not be distracted by them.”

This time it was Nick who nodded. “we won't be. Solving the murder is all we care about. Not who supported what all those years ago.”

Mr Dawson smiled and nodded. “then you may yet solve the case young lady.”

Judy raised an eyebrow curiously. “and you? How did you meet jack?”

Mr Dawson shrugged. “our fathers worked together. My father ran zootopia trust and loans back in the day. Anyone wanting to start or maintain a business knew my father. Jack and I were the same age and we saw each other quite often. So we just… became friends.”

Leaning forward Nick spoke, sounding as business like as possible. “do you have any idea who would want to hurt Jack? Did he have many enemies?”

Mr Dawson smiled and chuckled. “half the city probably secretly hated his guts. As for who I think did it… talk with Hellina Maxwell; Jack's at the time ex girlfriend. She was everything Jack hated. Entitled, arrogant, a spoiled little rich bitch who thinks the world revolves around her. Not sure how Jack didn't scratch her eyes out when they were in the same room. Then again Jack's father was the whole reason they were together so… i'm sure there was some parental pressure there. Always thought she made the most sense as the culprit. About a week before he was killed Jack called out her father in the middle of a benefit dinner. Called him a liar and a cheat. Nearly ruined their company.”

Nick nodded, jotting down the name they'd been given. “can you think of anyone else we should talk to?”

Mr Dawson thought for a moment before nodding. “Jack's sister, Victora. After he died she inherited or took over most of his assets. I think… maybe it was a way to keep Jack's memory alive. They were never very close, but… she was his sister after all. Th-”

But Mr Dawson’s paused as a new male voice met their ears. “babe? Where are you?”

Mr Dawson responded. His tail perking up slightly. “on the deck love.”

A few moments later a tiger emerged from around the burrow. At the sight of Nick and Judy the tiger slowly, a look of concern covering his face. “what's going on? Why is the ZPD here. Marcus, are you ok?”

The coyote nodded. “yes. Just helping these officers with an old case. But I think we're about done. Is that right officers?”

Judy nodded and stood up, Nick mirroring her movement. “thank you for your help Mr Dawson. We may contact you again. Is that ok?”

Mr Dawson smiled and nodded Standing up as well. “of course officers. Shall I call the front desk and have you picked up?”

At the question Judy glanced to Nick before shaking her head. “we can make our own way back.”


	3. Spending The Night

Addy's restaurant was always packed. Mammals of all shapes, sizes and species sat in the brightly colored plastic booths. Families came here for the large selection of food to satisfy their kits. Singles came here to mingle with others in the large community tables. And cops came here because they were open 24 hours a day, and the 10% discount was nice too.

Watching as their waiter, a large spindly looking stork, moved away with their order; Nick sighed. Across from him, Judy was busy looking through some notes on the case. Absent mindedly, Nick tapping his claw on the table. The first time he'd come here he'd been nervous. The huge crowds, the loud din of voices and plates, the storm of scents and smells, it was almost overwhelming to his senses. Now it didn't scare him so much, although he was always slightly on edge when they came here. It was kinda hard not to be when you, a small fox, are eating in the same place as massive elephants and rhinos.

He watched as Judy looked up from the notes. “What did you think of Mr. Dawson?”

Nick shrugged. “I believe him. I think he was telling the truth when he says he wants to help. And that he really does want the case solved.” In his mind, Nick could recall the way the coyote’s shoulders had slumped, the way his tail had hung limply from the chair. He'd seen that look before, Hell, he'd even had that look before. It wasn't something a person could fake, not that convincingly anyways. “I think he misses his friend. And to not know what happened, after 40 years of being badgered and hounded… I think he needs this.”

Across from him Judy raised an eyebrow a slight smile covering her lips. “So maybe there is  **one** rich person in Zootopia you can stand?”

Nick rolled his eyes at her joking tone. “OK. Maybe one. But JUST one.”

This got a small chuckle out of Judy and even a tiny one from Nick. Soon enough though, they found themselves falling silent again. Something had changed between them. Their interactions were different. Less formal and more… friendly. Even without their uniforms they were more than officers and partners in law enforcement. They were…

Squirming in his seat slightly, Nick bit his lip. If he was honest, this was kind of like a date. They were together, outside of work, having dinner at a time when they'd both normally be asleep. (At least, he assumed Judy went to bed at this time)

“Hey… Nick…. Can I ask you something?” Judy's voice was low as she spoke. She wasn't looking at him but instead down at the table, one hand half tracing the condensation on her glass of water.

He nodded. “Yeah. What’s up?”

He was trying to sound casual. Try to sound like he wasn't thinking about him and her on a real date. Not surrounded by families and mingling singles but instead in a fancy restaurant. The kind where waiters wore suits and carried a towel over one arm. Maybe? He watched as she glanced up at him, that briefest of looks, being enough to make his heart hammer anxiously and the moisture levels in his mouth drop several levels. He wasn't used to seeing her like this, nervous. She was so outgoing and excited about so many things. It was like looking at a completely different person.

He watched as she continued to play with the droplets of water on her glass for a moment before speaking. “Jack’s… relationship. With a prey, I mean. How… what do you… think of it? Of predator and… prey… together, I mean.” Her voice was so low he could barely hear her towards the end. He could see a faint blush in her ears, a sign of just how embarrassed she was.

Midway through a breath, Nick felt himself freeze, the air filling his lungs, but not leaving them. Somehow his heart felt like it had both completely stopped and sped up to a million beats a second. Every part of his skin itched and burned and he was pretty sure that his tail was completely bristled out under the table. “I…” Gods, it was hard to think straight. Half his brain was screaming at him to confess to her. To tell her he wanted to be with her. But the other half gripped him with fear, visions of her storming away from him, in disgust. “I… think… it…” his brain scrambled to find the right words. To put into words how he was feeling. “It would be hard. But… if they… really loved each other… I think… it could work. They'd MAKE it work. I… I would.”

Oh Gods, she was looking at him again. Dimly, he was grateful for his red fur or else he was sure she would see how the blood filled his face. The last part had slipped out before he'd realized he was saying it. And yet, as she looked at him he could see no look of disgust, no disapproving gaze, no wrinkled expressions showing how against the idea she was. Their eyes locked onto each others. Lion Christ, she had beautiful eyes. He could get lost in them. So kind and caring, so full of love, with not a hint or trace of rejection. Instead… he could see… was it… curiosi-

“OK. WHO HAD THE CHICKEN SANDWICH?”

The sudden return of their waiter, with their food, nearly made Nick jump out of his fur. For a split second, his heart jolted up into his throat, making his whole body jerk and flinch. Across from him Judy seemed to be having a similar reaction, actually having jumped a few inches in her seat; her eyes widen for a moment. “Th-thats h-his.”

The stork smiled, clearly knowing this already. Quickly setting their food down, the stork moved off, no doubt to serve another table, leaving Nick and Judy alone. Suddenly the restaurant felt as if it was deathly silent. He stared down at his food his mind almost completely blank, almost. Slowly he looked up, his eyes drifting to his partner. She was looking at her food too, her hands in her lap and clearly doing her best to not look up at him. Although the faint twitching along the top of her head told him she was struggling with that.

He had to do something, something to break the tension and make things go back to normal. This silence between them was painful, more so than any injury either of them had ever had before. Including that time Judy had fallen from a second story window and broken her leg. “S-so… how is your family?”

It was the first thing that came to mind. And mentally he groaned as soon as he'd said it. ‘ _ Her family? Really? That was the best you could come up with.’ _ But to his surprised, it worked, slowly Judy’s head lifted; her eyes darting to him. Quickly Nick looked away, hoping she hadn't seen him watching her. Instead he focused on his food, quickly grabbing his sandwich and taking a large bite. It was good. The chicken was deliciously crunchy and moist and the pickles blended well, making it one amazing sandwich. As he ate, Judy began to talk, telling him about her family and their recent harvest. How the blueberries were coming in well this year. (Before he could ask, she added that she'd asked her parent to send her some which she would pass to him) occasionally between talking, Judy would eat too, her veggie wrap quickly vanishing in as she nibbled it quickly.

It was working. Things weren’t awkward or tense anymore. She was looking at him again, not with that piercing gaze like before but with kind and happy eyes. Occasionally, he chimed in when he was interested, but for the most part he just listened. There was something calming about her voice. Soon their plates were empty and their stomachs were full, making both of them groan softly. Slowly stretching out Nick looked around the restaurant. All around them couples sat, a quick scan of them made Nick's heart pang slightly, as he found none of them to be predator and prey. In the back of his mind, Nick wondered. IF he and Judy were a couple (and that was a pretty big if) would they be welcome here? Or would the waiters refuse to serve them and ask them to leave? How would those around them act?

Most of their friends at the ZPD… probably wouldn't care. Clawhauser would probably squeal and thinks it was adorable. The chief… would have a few words for them about relationships on the job. Technically, it wouldn't break any rules, but it was still a discussion HR required they have. And it's not like they'd be on the only couple on the force. Over in major crimes a couple worked together, Alice a bobcat and Dillon a tiger, also Manfredi and Johnson, a pair of penguins, who worked narcotics. But… they'd be the only predator/prey couple. They'd probably catch some crap for that. Daniels and Williams, a pair of Timberwolves weren't exactly subtle with their thoughts on the subject. They'd be trouble.

Sighing to himself Nick looked down at his empty plate. Why was it such a big deal? What was it any of the world's business who he liked or didn't like? It's not like they were feral animals anymore; mostly. It wasn't like he would fake being in a relationship with her just so he could eat her. So why would it matter?

“Hey Nick?” He looked up at his partner, noting the concerned look on her face. “You ok?”

It was a simple question, perhaps a little loaded given the situation but simple all the same. On one hand he wanted to tell her the truth. He was down because he had feelings for her that went beyond friendship and that he really, REALLY hoped she had feelings for him too. “I’m OK. Just tired, I didn't sleep very well last night.”

That part wasn't a lie. He hadn't slept well last night, or most nights that week, to be honest. Partially that was Fennick's fault. The small desert fox had a habit of snoring like a chainsaw while sleeping on his back. At the same time, his thoughts tended to race when he was alone in a quiet place. Across from him, Judy looked at him with a bit more concern. “Fennick keeping you up again?”

He chuckled and nodded. “Y-yeah. I have no idea how such a racket can come out of someone so small!”

He chuckled at that, a genuine laugh of amusement. It was true. He'd wondered that many times, even gone so far as asking a doctor about it. It felt good to laugh. It felt natural. It fe-

“I-if you like… you could stay with me.”

There is was again. The feeling as if his heart had both stopped and exploded at the same time. His head snapped up to stare at her, his mouth slightly hanging open. She was looking at him. Her expression innocent, no alternative motive or thought showing across her bunny features. She was genuinely trying to do something nice and help him. Meanwhile… his mind had gone to a very, VERY different place. He swallowed painfully, his throat having again become impossibly dry. It wasn't like he'd never spent the night at her place before. But those times had been different, they'd been drinking and she'd insisted. He'd slept on the couch, and been just buzzed enough to blame his want to crawl into her bed on the booze. But he wasn’t drunk now. Couldn't blame his feelings on booze or anything else. Just as being alone, as their uniforms had been washed, had been. Spending the night would be a bad idea. He didn't know what he would do. For sure she'd figure out something was wrong. But-

“T-thanks. That would help a lot.”

It was impossible to describe. He heard the words. Heard them in his voice. Felt his lips move as he spoke them. And yet, he'd had no control when he'd spoken them. Across from him Judy smiled, a sweet innocent friendly smile that made his stomach twist into knots with a flood of emotions.

“Great. And I’ll try not to snore  **too** much.”

Again before he knew what was happening he was responded, a small chuckle, followed by, “I bet your little bunny snores would be adorable.” A smile on his dark lips.

He watched as her ears twitched with embarrassment, a slight look of mock indigence flickering across her face. “My snores are not adorable.” But the smile on her face told him she wasn't really upset with him. He was glad she seemed happy; she seemed completely oblivious to his inner turmoil. Good, now he just needed it to stay that way. But, as he watched her pay for their food, he felt a small tug at his heart. Would it be so bad if she knew? He'd at least know how to feel, if she did. She'd either share his feelings, or she wouldn’t. Would knowing that answer be worse than not knowing?

 

\-------

 

_ OH SWEET CHEESE AND CRACKERS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING JUDY?! INVITING NICK TO SPEND THE NIGHT? ARE TOU CRAZY?! _

She held the edges of her sink, her fingers aching with the force of the grip. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, willing it to look calm and collected; something she certainly wasn't at the moment. She'd really stepped in it this time. Inviting Nick to sleep over? Inviting him to stay in her apartment overnight? It was like she was a glutton for punishment. She forced herself to breath, to take deep breaths in an effort to calm herself. Maybe things would be OK. Maybe they'd both pass out. Maybe she wouldn't dream about him tonight, about his beautiful red fur, his perfect smile and laugh, about him holding her against him, about him nuzzling her and kissing her and telling her that he lov-

“Come on Judy. Pull it together.” She groaned to herself.

Why had she offered to let him stay here? She could have offered sympathy, made some witty remark, or called him a wuss. But  **NO** , no she'd done the one thing that could make the situation sooo much worse. Pining for him was one thing. Staring at him as he drove and wishing harder than she’d ever wished before that she could lean over and kiss him, was one thing. Dreaming about him, in a way that was VERY non-platonic, only reinforcing the stereotype that rabbits and bunnies were constantly horny all the time, was one thing. Inviting the object of her affections to her apartment to spend the night and possibly expose her secret feelings for him, that was something VEEEERY different.

“Sweet cheese and crackers! What have I done?”

She groaned, leaning forward to rest her head against the cool mirror. She'd really put herself in the thick of things this time. She wasn't sorry she'd done it, she'd seen how tired Nick had been all day. That he sometimes stared off in to space, or didn't notice someone until they were speaking to him. The way he was sometimes slow to answer her questions. Even the way he'd almost hit the ceiling when the waiter had come back with their food. So offering him a place to stay and rest was the obvious thing to do. No, she was upset over how it was affecting her. He'd spent the night before, crashing on her couch a few times when they'd been out drinking or when they'd stayed up super late watching movies or working a case. But those times were different. In the beginning she hadn't felt anything… well very little, for him. The flirting had been harmless, a way for them to tease each other. But then things had started to change, she'd gotten closer to him and with that closeness, had come a deeper emotional connection between them. She still remembered the first time she'd dreamt of him. How could she forget? It was seared into her brain.

It was still so clear, as if it had been real. She'd been in the shower, humming as she'd washed her fur. She'd felt hands touch her shoulders, gently pulling her backwards. But rather than resist or fight back, she'd allowed it. Moaning softly as she'd found herself pulled back into his warm soft fur. He'd held her. Called her his beautiful bunny as he'd run his hands through her fur, caressing and touching several parts of her she'd never let anyone ever touch before. And she'd loved it, every single pleasure filled second of it. He'd been so gentle, so loving, even when he'd picked her up and pinned her against the wall and bared his teeth to her in a predatory growl. She'd never felt threatened or in danger. It had been-

She growled, shaking the memory from her mind. No, this wasn't why she'd half run to the bathroom when they'd gotten here. She was supposed to be calming down, not winding herself up. She needed to relax, needed to get her emotions and hormones under control. If she didn't, she might do something she'd regret later. She was sure… she hoped he'd understand. But even if he did, something would change between them. Some tiny little part of their relationship would be altered and never able to go back to how it had been. That thought was like a sobering douse of cold water. She didn't want things to change, at least not for the worse. She wanted to stay Nick's friend and partner. Mentally she grabbed at that thought. Partners, yes; they were partners. And partners needed to watch each other's backs. And if she was busy day dreaming or fantasizing about him, she couldn't do that. Not in the way he needed.

Slowly she inhaled, filling her lungs with air until her chest swelled and her lungs ached.  She was his partner, that’s all she could be. She needed to be his partner. He trusted her to watch his back and to keep him safe, and in exchange he did the same thing. She released her breath, the warm breeze making the cool glass of the mirror fog up slightly. She could do that. She could be his partner, for now. She remained in the bathroom for just a moment longer, quickly removing her day clothes and pulling on her pajamas. As she tugged her ears through the hole of her shirt she glanced at her reflection. She didn't normally wear so many clothes while sleeping. Her usual pajamas were just an oversized blue shirt that had probably been originally sized a wolf pup. As a result it usually hung off one of her shoulders in, what she had to admit, was a rather seductive style.

But she wasn't going to wear that tonight. She didn’t trust herself, not with Nick here and so, sooo close. So tonight she wore more, a pair of simple black leggings and a smaller but still oversized white shirt she'd gotten when she'd visited Las Pegasus with her family a few years ago. Taking another deep breath, Judy mentally reminded herself. ‘ _ You’re his partner. His PARTNER! _ ’ She moved, opened the door to the bathroom and stepped back out into her apartment. From his spot on the couch, she heard Nick's voice, a tone of slight amusement in it. “Thought maybe you fell in, you were taking so long.”

That was all it took. A single, offhand, sarcastic comment and she felt the stress of the situation melt away. Same ol’ Nick, no matter what. She chuckled at the joke, moving towards the fox who was sitting on her couch. He was already wearing his pajamas; a faded off black shirt and a pair of what looked to be old pair of basketball shorts. While she'd been in the bathroom, he’d turned on the TV, tuning in to a rerun of some old show that she didn't recognize. “It’s getting pretty late. We should probably get some sleep now.”

It was true. It was already almost midnight and they had to be at work, fully uniformed and in roll call by 7am. She nodded, watched as Nick pulled out a battered and flat pillow and a blanket from his bag. “Is that gonna be enough?”

Nick shrugged. “Yeah. I’ve had this pillow for years. And it’s not like you're an arctic hare, so I don't need a lot of blankets. Thanks for worrying about me, though.” he said that last part with a bit of a smirk. Enough that it made her ears tingle with a bit of embarrassment. Quickly she shot back.

“Not worried. Just don't wanna listen to you shiver all night. I remember how you were in Tundra Town.” she dropped her voice to try and mimic his tone while mumbling about being cold and freezing his tail off. From his spot on the couch nick raised an eyebrow. “Well Carrots, if you don't want me to be cold, maybe you should invite me to sleep with you. We can keep each other warm.”

His words sent a shiver up her spine. He was joking… right? He had to have been, and yet she really REALLY liked the idea. Unseen by him her tail twitched slightly; it at least liked the idea of-

A moment later, Nick's face split into a wide grin, “Ha! You should see the look on your face, Carrots.”

A moment later, reality snapped back. It had been a joke. She rolled her eyes, moving past the couch to crawl into her bed on the other side of the room. “Yuck it up, fox. But don't come whining to me the next time you get cold.”

Behind her she heard Nick chuckle softly. “Goodnight.”

Settling herself in bed she responded a moment later. “Goodnight.”

 

\--------

 

_ OK Judy. You can do this. He's on the couch. You're in your bed. You're fine. Nothing is gonna happen. Just relax. You need to sleep. _

"Ugggggg”

It was no use, she couldn't sleep. It wasn't that she wasn't tired. She was. But for some reason she just couldn't get comfortable. On her side. On her stomach. On her back. Nothing felt right. All the while Nick's soft snores had slowly filled the room. He clearly did not have any trouble sleeping.

_ Come on Judy. We talked about this. He's your partner. _

It was true. She knew it was true, every part of her knew it. Every part except her heart it seemed. She sighed, tossing in her bed until she was looking away from his sleeping form on the couch and instead staring at the wall. Why was this happening to her? Sure, growing up she'd never really had a significant other. A few boys had liked her at school. One, a young and slightly twitchy chinchilla had asked her out once. At the time she'd not been interested in dating. Actually she hadn't been interested in anything that didn't help her get into the police academy. All through the academy, she'd been so focused on her training. She didn’t have time for dating or relationships.

But somehow Nick had changed that. She'd watched him go through the academy, and while he had struggled a little, at the beginning, he'd quickly become one of the best cadets in his class. She'd been so proud of him at his graduation. She'd practically tackled him when he'd stepped off the stage, pulling him into a tight hug. He'd given her a little kiss then, a small little peck on the cheek. And it had been after that, that her heart had done its first flutter. Th-

“nnnnn”

Instantly her eyes snapped open at the new sound, her ears instinctively swiveling towards the source. A second later, the soft click on Nick's nails on the floor echoed in the empty room. She felt her heart rate jump several beats. It was well past midnight, what was he doing? She listened as he groaned weakly, the sound of his feet and nails plodding softly along the floor and away from her. A second later the sound of the bathroom faucet rippled through the air, followed by the sound of the water glass she had in the bathroom being filled. She let out a sigh of relief, one she wasn't aware she had been holding. A drink of water. He was just getting a drink. She willed her eyes closed, willed herself to take a deep breath.

_ Of course he's getting a drink. He's a good guy. He's not gonna do anything. Just relax and go to slee- _

Her eyes flew open as she felt the blankets of her bed shift. A second later she felt the mattress compress next to her. Her heart nearly jumped into her throat, her fur prickling as she felt Nick's warm breath waft across the back of her neck.

_ What is he doing?! _

A second later she got her answer as he let out another soft snore, having fallen back asleep. Of course.

_ He's half asleep. He probably thinks this is the couch. Or maybe his bed back home. He's not- _

Another shudder rippled through her, making her fur stand on end as she felt Nick shift in his sleep. He was moving closer, his head pushing against the pillow as-

_ ‘SWEET CHEESE AND CRACKERS!!!’ _

He groaned softly again. His arms, moving slowly in his sleep, wrapped themselves around her shoulders, pulling her to his chest. She was wide awake now, her mind having gone completely blank and also a million miles a minute. Behind her Nick mumbled softly. “....my…..jumbo-pop…..”

Despite the situation, Judy found a smile twitching the edges of her mouth. It was kinda sweet actually, Nick dreaming of jumbo-pops. Even after all they'd seen and done, Nick dreaming of jumbo-pops was so innocent and sweet. That thought flickered slightly as she felt Nick shift again, his nose brushing against her shoulder. “.....mmm…..”

Her heartbeat tripled, as she felt his rough, canine tongue drag through the fur on her ear. “…mmm, delicious...” She felt herself shutter, as he began nibbling on her ear, as well.

Nervously she swallowed, almost fearful the smallest sound would wake him up. She shifted slowly, seeing if-

His grip on her shoulders tightened and he groaned again. “....mine….”

She was stuck. She couldn't move without waking him up.

_ Is that such a bad thing? _

It was a fair question. For weeks now she'd been having dream about this. Now it was happening, albeit in an indirect way; but it was still happening. Why should she try and stop it? She bit her lip, her mind scrambling to come up with a reason, but failing every time. Softly she sighed. Tonight, she'd allow herself tonight, just tonight. This one night to be held in his arms. After that… she'd figure out how to handle her feelings.

Gently she shifted, allowing herself to relax against Nick's slowly rising and falling chest. She knew this was probably a bad idea. That in the morning, she'd have to explain to Nick what had happened. But for now… for now, she would enjoy this.


	4. The Next Morning

Gently he groaned, the soft unconsciousness of sleep evaporating around him. He was somewhere warm. Not just warm warm. But a kind of soft perfect comfortable warm. The kind that made him want to stay like this forever and not open his eyes. He shifted a little. Mmmm, he really was sooo comfortable. Surrounded by softness and warmth and a pleasant slightly flowery smell, with something held in his arms and pressed against his; wait.

Had Judy's couch always been this soft? He'd slept on it a few time, hell he'd helped drag it up here when shed found it at the thrift store. And his pillow, he'd slept on it for years, he knew every thread of it by heart now. Yet now, it felt different; soft. Something it hadn't been in quite some time. Also the smell. His old blanket smelled like him, not surprising since he'd had it for over a decade. Yet now as he lay here, his own scent was mild. Instead a flowery soft smell filled his nose and lungs. It wasn't unpleasant. It was a bit like a big open field, or a patch of blueberries. It was calming and familiar to him. Almost like-

The realization crashed into him like a truck. His eyes snapped open, his brain willing and praying to not see what he already knew he'd see. He was not on the couch. He was not under his blanket. He was not sleeping on his pillow. He was in Judy's bed. He was under Judy's blanket. And Judy was-

_ Oh sweet cheese and crackers _

He bit his lip. Willing his panicking brain to remain calm. Judy was in his arms, her head resting gently against his chest. Her eyes were closed and in her sleep her nose twitched slowly in reaction to some dream she was having. He bit his lip harder, his heart swelling and fluttering at the sight. She looked so…. Perfect. It was the only word that could come close. And even then it barely scratched the surface. She was perfect. And more than anything he wanted things to stay like this. Maybe not exactly like this, he was currently on his back, which mean his tail was half kinked and squished underneath him. Again his eyes drifted to Judy's face. She seemed so innocent, so cute. Just by looking at her no one would ever know the things they had done or seen. Maybe that was what inspired him so much. The way she could take the very worst the world could throw at her, and keep going with a smile.

He shifted, forcing himself to look away from the angel sleeping on his chest and instead stare up at the ceiling. Vaguely he wondered how he'd wandered into Judy's bed. She still had on all his clothes. So…...nothing passionate had happened. He remembered getting up in the middle of the night to get a drink. And then….. he honestly couldn't remember anything after he'd put the glass back down. He must have been so brain dead he'd thought Judy's bed was his own, or maybe the couch? Or maybe his subconscious had decided to act on his dreams and make them a reality? Closing his eyes Nick sighed. He'd fucked up, really badly. Even if Judy hadn't kicked him out of her bed, even…..if her sleeping expression seemed to be enjoying his company. He'd fucked up. 

But a soft groan made his ears flicker and his heart quicken. Judy was waking up. He was running out of time to explain what he'd done. His heart leapt into into his throat as he felt her hand move, her fingers sleepily running across his chest. Suddenly his fur was prickling and felt like it was on fire as he watched her sleeping expression change and-

His heart froze as her eyes opened, blinking hazily before shifting to look up at him. He stared back at her, his brain scrambling to try and come up with a good reason for what he'd done. Yet only a single thought came to mind.

“morning carrots.”

She blinked again, one of her hands coming up to rub her eye. “morning.” she was moving now, slowly pushing herself up, taking the covers with her as she did so. Thank god he was still wearing his clothes. His heart still pounded as he lay there, his eyes held as if by glue go the object of his affection. He watched as she shrugged the blankets off, yawning and stretching; her arms extending and her chest puffing up slightly as she did so. He swallowed painfully, his throat having gone impossibly dry and she turned to smile sleepily at him. “so, I guess the blanket wasn't enough to keep you warm?”

He grabbed at it, clawing and scrambling at the comment like a drowning man caught in a typhoon. “y-yeah. Sorry. You were right.”

She smiled at him, a warm loving smile that again made his heart flutter. “its ok.”

Slowly he began to move too, sitting up and turning away from her. He had the overwhelming urge to put his head in his hands. This was it. This was the perfect time. It literally could not get better than this. They'd spent the night in each other's arms. There would never be a better time to tell her about his feelings. And yet as he sat there back to her, he could feel his heart sink down to someplace past his tail. He couldn't. He couldn't tell her. It would ruin their relationship. She'd hate him for it. Would ask for a different partner and would never speak to him again. With those thoughts in mind he forced himself to stand up. “we...should probably get ready for work.”

He was saying it as much to himself as to her. To force himself away from her soft, warm perfect bed and instead into a place where he could focus on other things. Behind him he heard Judy respond.

“y-yeah. Ok.”

He forced himself to move, to walk away from her and back to his bag in front of the couch. he knelt down, pulling out his spare uniform before turning; and almost tripping over Judy who had followed him and was standing silently behind him. She wasn't looking at him, instead she was looking at the floor. But her ears told him all he needed to know, the half up half down posture telling him she was uncertain and embarrassed. After a few seconds she looked up at him, her voice low and soft. “um…..about…..last night….”

Again he swallowed, his throat having gone painfully dry. He bit his lip, trying to figure out what to say. Something witty, to lighten the mood? Something serious? Maybe he sh-

“it…..was…….nice.” That brought his mind to a screeching halt. For a moment he stood there, his mind completely frozen. Nice, it had been nice? Had he heard here right? Nice? No, he must have heard wrong. She must have said……. Nice? She still wasn't looking at him, instead staring at a spot on the floor by her foot. She was leaning to one side and he could see her nervously running the fingers of her left hand nervously through her fur. 

“um…..”

He brain was still struggling to work. Nice? She said nice? Sleeping in the same bed with him had been nice? Waking up in his arms with her head on his chest, was nice? In front of him Judy looked up at him. “I….it was nice….to wake up to someone here.”

Again he swallowed, his heart constricting in his chest. Every hair on his body was screaming at him. “I…...y-yeah. It was...” She was looking at him, and now he could see the wheels in her head turning. Analyzing what he was saying. Yet, even if there had been a gun to his head he was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to stop talking. “... it was nice.”

The moment he said it he wanted to throw himself out the window. Nice? NICE?! That was the best he could come up with?! In front of him Judy looked away, her gaze going back to the floor. “I…..was thinking…..” She was fidgeting now, something she only did when she was very nervous or on edge. He'd only ever seen her do it once or twice. “... I'm…. I'm sure one night sleep… was nice…” there was that word again. It was starting to loose its meaning; they had said it so many times. “...but… if you needed…..or…. wanted…” that word came out all a nearly unheard whisper. “... you… could stay here again… tonight.”

A shiver ran through him. An impossible to describe yet so familiar shiver that made his skin prickly and his tail stiffen while his fur stood up. She was inviting him to stay the night again? Even after he'd invaded her bed and-

He knew the answer he needed to give. That he'd be fine. That he was feeling better and that he would go back to his and Finnick's place. That he shouldn't have invaded her bed and that he was sorry. That he wasn't head over heels in love with her.

“I'd like that.”

Oh gods she was looking at him again, her eyes a bit wider than they had been a few moments ago. He could see something in her face. Some expression he'd never seen there before. She seemed-

He moved without thinking, his body having grown tired of his brains bullshit. Ignoring his mind it move forward, pulling the sweet innocent perfect bunny into a soft hug. For a moment she felt tense, his brain screaming at his body to let her go. But a second later his brain fell silent as she seemed to melt into the help her own hands coming up, not to wrap around his stomach or hips as a friend might do. He shivered again as he felt her fingers run softly up his back. She wasn't just touching him, she was hugging him back. His body moved again, pulling her a little tighter again him, and she responded a moment later by doing the the same.

He was finding it hard to not explode into a million pieces right now. His brain was at a complete stop, his body had gone rogue, the object of his deepest most forbidden desires had invited him to stay the night again with her, he'd said yes and now they were hugging… a hug that had long surpassed what a platonic hug should be. This couldn't be real. He had to be dreaming. He was still asleep on the couch and this was some very very VERY realistic dream that his mind had concocted. Any moment now he'd wake up and things would make sense again. Ok sense was a strong word but they'd be back to how they usually were.

"Nick…” lion christ even her voice was perfect. His body made him look down, watching and just took a deep breath, the thought occurring to him that with them being so close that such a breath would be filled with his sent. “...I…” she was shaking, her little frame vibrating again him. It only made him hold her closer, which she returned, her fingers clenching fistfulls of his back fur. “I want… ” he was finding it hard not to lose himself in her scent. Her sweet beautiful flowery wafting scent that made his heart flutter and his nose twitch. “...I want you to…” how long had they been hugging for? Felt like hours. Hell maybe it had been only s few seconds. But it sure didn't feel like a few seconds. Felt like it had been several minutes at least. Certainly longer than any hug you’d give a friend would be appropriate for.  “...stay.”

The word was so soft. So sweet. So pure. No word had ever reached his ears that sounded so perfect. It made his heart clench, his lungs shudder and his grip on her form tighten. This was a dream. It had to be. There was no way, NO WAY this was real. But He was beyond caring, beyond the concern of it this was real or not. Only one thought filled his entire existence as everything else fell away.

It was like he was moving in slow motion. Like he was underwater. He pulled back a little, one of his arms leaving Judy’s side to move instead to her chin and-

He could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Could feel each pump ripple through his entire body. The rest of the world was one. Their job, fenic, the case, hell the entire fucking apartment possibly. Literally the only thing he could see was her. Her beautiful radiant, perfect face looking up at him with his hand just under her chin. This was a dream. It had to be. There was no way; fuck it. 

It was perfect. Better than anything he'd ever dared hope to dream. It was a cold glass of water on a hot day. A warm breeze on a gentle spring night. A perp running headlong into a wall and knocking himself out. The kiss was that and so so sooooo much more. So many impossibly wonderful things that he could have spent the rest of his life trying to describe it and never even come close. Her lips were soft and perfect, fitting against his own as if they'd been made to. Her scent filled his nose, his lungs every part of him making him feel almost drunk off her. She wasn't pulling away. Wasn't demanding an explanation or telling him to get out. Or calling him a freak. His heart nearly exploded as he felt her respond pressing back against his lips, returning the kiss. This really was a dream, an impossible wonderful, once a lifetime dream. And yet he didn't care. He truly did not care one single bit. He held her close, almost crushing her against him as he kept kissing her. He was going to remember this. Was going to absorb every single detail until it was etched in his brain for the rest of his life. He didn't care if he was dreaming. He didn't care if this wasn't real. He didn't care if he'd died in his sleep and somehow being here kissing Judy was his own personal slice of heaven. He was going to hold on to it for as long as he possibly could. 

His head spun, feeling lightheaded from the lack of fresh air in his lungs. He ignored it. His lungs ached and burned as they used up all the air he'd inhaled. He ignored it. His muscles shook from the force he was gripping her with. He ignored it. He wasn't going to let go. Wasn't going to let some stupid little thing like fatigue or essential bodily functions keep him from this. He was going to stay here, like this; until his dream ended or until he collapsed. In front of him Judy moved, the smallest almost impossible to detect movement. Instantly the kiss was broken. His lungs filled with fresh air, his head began to clear and his arms stopped shaking.

There were tears in his eyes. Not tears of sadness because the kiss had been broken. Tears of joy, tears of love, tears that were mirrored right back at him from Judy's eyes. “I love you.”

He'd never said anything so true. Never dared to say it to another person. But she wasn't a person. She was an angel. She-

“I love you too.”

Those words summoned more tears, making them drip down the sides of his eyes and face. He'd never hoped to hear those words. Never dared for even a single second to allow the idea of those words in his head. If he had, he'd have never been able to recover. But now they filled his mind, his body, his soul. She loved him back. Even if it was just a dream she loved him back. She-

“HEY RABBIT! WAKE YOUR BUSHY ASS UP AND ANSWER YOUR DAMNED PHONE! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!”

Wait, what? Suddenly reality snapped back. Their job, their case, the apartment it all burst back into his brain but along with them came a new thought. A thought that on one hand threatened to make him drift back up into the heavenly fantasy world he'd been in seconds ago. But also filled his stomach with cold sickening writhing dread. He remembered his dreams. It was something he was proud of and took pride in. He'd dreamed about Judy. About kissing her. About holding her. About doing things to her that he was sure would make them both blush for weeks afterwards. He'd never dreaming about her neighbors banging on the wall. He'd never dreamed about the loud roar of cars and sounds coming from her slightly cracked window. He'd never dreaming about the sound of phone going off in a loud screechy tone from its spot next to her bed.

What if…...this….wasn't….a dream?

Instantly that thought came crashing down around him. It wasn't a dream. This wasn't something that would evaporate and go away. He wasn't going to wake up from this. His grip on her body vanished as he staggered backwards, a split second later he tripped over his own tail which shot between his legs in fear. oh gods no, no, no, no, NO!

he brought his hands up to his face, pressing his palms so hard against it that his eyes lanced with pain. Oh gods he'd fucked up. He'd fucked up so so sooooo badly, worse than he'd ever fucked up I'm his entire life. He could hear her moving, the sounds of her feet rushing away from him followed by the loud screech of phone vanishing.

“hello?”

This was it. His life was over. This would ruin everything. Everything would change and like everything else he'd done before it would blow up in his face and he’d wind up alone, again. He could hear her talking and some high pitched voice talking to her, no shouting at her. After a few moments he heard the beep of her phone. "Nick?” The sound of her saying his name only made him feel worse. He pressed his face harder against his hands, ignoring the pain it caused him. He wished he could go back in time, stop himself from hugging her. Why had he done that? It would ruin everything. "Nick?” her voice was louder now but he found himself recoiling from it. She had been the one good thing to happen to him. She'd helped him turn his life around. And in a few seconds he'd thrown it all away on some- "Nick.”

he jerked, suddenly feeling a light touch on his shoulder. His head snapped up and he found she was looking at him a look of concern covering her face. He stared back at her. He wanted to apologize, to tell her he was sorry for ruining everything. But his voice refused to work, his mouth opening and closing weakly. “....I….”

She reached out, touching his shoulder again. “We can talk about it tonight. We need to go to work. That was the chief. He's… less than thrilled that we missed roll call.”

He blinked up at her. Work? Yes, work. They were police officers. They had a job to do. The world didn't come to a screeching halt just because their personal lives had taken a wrong turn….off a cliff and into a burning lack filled with sharks. In front of him Judy reached out touching both his shoulders.  When she spoke her voice was firm but kind. "Nick. I need you to take a deep breath and pull yourself together. We will talk about what happened later. But right now we need to go do our job. Ok?”

He wanted to argue, wanted to say they needed to talk about this now. Slowly he nodded, his voice slowly starting to work again. “o...o….ok.”

Oh gods he sounded pathetic. Judy nodded before letting him go. Slowly, almost numbly he got to his feet. In a daze he got dressed barely register what he was doing. Focus. She needed him to focus. They still had a job to do. He grabbed at that. He was still her partner. She needed him to be alert. To watch her back and to do his part of the work. Pulling his uniform shirt on Nick nodded. He could do that… probably. Today would be like any other day. they'd go to work, do their jobs, and then….

_ We'll talk about what happened later. _

He could only imagine what kind of a talk they'd have. The sound of her opening the bathroom door made him turn, looking to the bathroom where Judy was stepping out fully dressed. For a moment he felt his heart clench painfully. How had he messed this up so badly? How could he have put so much at risk? He swallowed painfully, the feeling of uneasy guilt settling in his stomach. Judy looked at him. “ready to go?”

He nodded, worried about what would happen if he spoke. No, now was not the time. He could have a meltdown later. He had a job to do. She still needed him to be her partner. He could hold it together for a day. Hell he'd been holding it together for months. One more day, that was nothing. 

  
  


\-----

  
  


_ Keep it together Judy. You still have a job to do. Keep it together. Just calm… HE SAID I LOVE YOU!! HE FEELS THE SAME WAY YOU DO!! That is not keeping it together. _

Her heart was hammering in her chest. Her body was filled with nervous energy and it was taking all of her self control to stop her tail from twitching. He'd kissed her. HE'D SAID HE LOVED HER TOO! He felt the same way!

Somehow she managed to get them to the precinct. An amazing feat considering how anxious and excited she was. Her good mood damped slightly as she caught sight of Nick. Unlike her he didn't seem happy, the exact opposite instead. His tail low, nearly dragging on a ground. His ears were partially down and it seemed like he was looking anywhere but at her. As they got into the elevator she couldn't not help but flashback to before in the apartment. The way he'd staggered away from her, the way he looked like he'd been about to cry. The expression of fear and pain and uncertainty covering every feature of his face. That made her feel uneasy. He had been the one to kiss her. He had been the one to slip into her bed, albeit unconsciously. She was over the moon about it. But he seemed….

Her train of thought ended as the looming form of chief Bogo towered over their desks. "Nice of you two to show up. I take it you have a good reason for being late.”

It was less a question and more of a threat. Opening her mouth to speak Judy found herself cutoff as Nick spoke before her. “its my fault chief. I got wrapped up in reviewing the old notes from that cold case. Lost track of time. It won't happen again.”

There was something in his voice, something forced. His demeanor had changed, his tail was still down low. But his ears had perked up slightly and she could see the attempt at one of his cocky smiles spreading across his face. If she didn't know him as well as she did, she might think it was genuine. But she did know him, so she could see the slight strain in his cheeks and the slight twitch of his ears as he forced them to be like that. Above them the chief huffed. “don't let it happen again. Just because its a cold cause doesn't mean you can be lazy.”

They both nodded, watching silently as the chief lumbered off to his office. Looking to Nick Judy bit her lip as she found that he was again not looking at her, but fiddling with a handle on one of the drawers to his desk. She remained silent, watching as he pulled open the drawer before producing a plain vanilla folder. Turning he caught sight of her looking at him. There was no mistaking the way he purposeful looked away as he spoke. As if he were desperate to distract himself. “called in last night and had Clawhauser work up a file on the leads we got from Mr. Dawson. Hellina Maxwell is at a resort outside the city, but she should be coming back day after tomorrow. Jack's sister Victoria spends most of her time managing the factories her family still runs in Zootopia industrial. Also managed to find some people who worked at the lounge where Jack and Anna were shot. Figure we can talk to them to flesh out our understanding of that night.”

He was being oddly professional. Something that was wildly out of place for him and his normally bored and flippant mood. But it was more than that. She could see the tension in his posture. It was practically radiating off of him in waves. After a few moments she responded to his words. “let's talk to the sister first.”

Nick and nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”

As he moved past her Judy couldn't help but notice has he stepped to the side a bit, as if trying to avoid any kind of contact with her. Slowly she followed him back to the elevators, remaining silent as they returned to their cruiser. She was starting to be really worried. In the span of an hour Nick's personality had done a 180. He wasn't joking or smiling or being his normal relaxed self. She watched him as he climbed into the cruiser, noting how he seemed abnormally interested in the keys and didn't look at her. Biting her lip she took a chance. "Nick…..about….before, i-”

“don't.”

That single word made her voice die in her throat. Next to her she watched as Nick took a deep breath, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly she could see them shaking slightly. “are you o-”

Again he cut her off his voice more forceful. “DON'T.”

she frowned at him, truly confused by his demeanor. “did i-”

This time when he spoke there was a new tone, one she'd almost never heard in his voice; pain. “please… don't.” She fell silent, looking at him as he slowly leaned forward to put his forehead again the steering wheel. After a few moments he spoke again, the tone of pain still in his voice. “please… I'm…. I'm barely holding myself together right now. Lets just get through the shift and then…. We can talk about….. it… please.”

A million questions burst into her mind. Had she done something wrong? Was Nick ok? Did he regret kissing her? What would they say after their shift? Why was Nick barely holding himself together? She opened her mouth to speak, only to feel her lung freeze as Nick shifted to look sideways at her. She'd never seen him look at her like that before. Pain was etched into every inch of his face, every hair of his fur. His ears were flat against his head, his whiskers were drooping and she could see the faintest glimmer of tears in his eyes. Swallowing back the questions she had, Judy slowly nodded. “o-ok.”

He looked away from her. His forehead returning to the steering wheel. After a few seconds she heard his voice barely louder than a whisper. “thank you.”

She bit her lip. Every part of her wanted to comfort him. Wanted to ask what was going on and what she could do to help. Instead she forced herself to remain silent, watching wordlessly as Nick slowly started the car and began to drive. 


	5. Revelations

Zootopia industrial was not a place Judy had been to before. She knew of the place, sure. Everyone in the city did. It was a massive industrial space almost as large as a main city district. But instead of homes or office buildings, factories and warehouses made up most of its structures. As they drove past the massive buildings Judy watched them go by. Most of the buildings were newer, having been built recently ro. Help support the demands that had cropped up in the last few decades. actually when she'd been in school she'd done a report on them. When the city had opened its doors to the public most species found their needs were accommodated. But a few species found those accommodations lacking, and so additional companies had sprung up to cater to those select species. Now those companies made all sorts of products. Everything from giant vehicles of giraffes and elephants, to bed and perches for avians and bats, even waterproof electronics for the cities aquatic residents. And the factors here in the industrial park made those very products. 

Slowly they came to a stop. The factory before them was definitely the one they wanted, a large metal and iron gateway with the words ‘Magnus Steel Industries’ at the arches pinnacle. Slowly both she and Nick got out of their cruiser, looking up at the large building before them. It was definitely older than the other buildings and factories around it. Unlike the modern structures whose skin was made of glass, this building’'s skin was mostly brick. Large stacks for release heat stood up behind the building, and an array of large windows encircled the upper sections just under the room. A small plaque on the metal archway drew her attention. 

‘Magnus Steel Industries, founded in 1904. Originally opened by Robert Magnus to feed the needs of the growing utopia. This site is the original birthplace of the city. Where men and women, prey and predator labored to make the vision of Zootopia a reality for all to see.’

The wording of the plaque made her pause, noting that the word ‘prey’ had come before ‘predator’. Robert Magnus, maybe Jack's father? But her attention was pulled away from the plaque as a voice called out to them. “hello. You must be from the ZPD.” Looking up she watched as a young opossum walked towards them before coming to a stop in the archway. “it's very nice to meet you.”

The opossum shook both their hands, smiling at them as he did so. After a few moments he gestured to the factory behind him. “come in. Mrs. Magnus is expecting you.”

They followed the opossum, allowing him to lead them through the archway and towards a set of large black double doors. When the doors open Judy braced herself, expecting to be hit with a wave of noise and racket. But no such wave came, instead she blinked finding them in a pleasant looking office space. Around them a few people worked, answering phones or working on computers. As if the opossum knew what she had been expecting, he spoke. “the walls of the factory are lined with sound dampening foam. No sound from the factory floor can be heard in these spaces so as not to interfere with the work we do. We might not e on the factory floor, but we're just as important. Although in Mrs. Magnus's office you can hear a bit of the sound. Follow me.” The opossum led them through the office space, before emerging into a hallway which they moved halfway down before turning again and finding a stairway. As they moved upwards Nick spoke, a slight tone of his usual casual self creeping into his voice. “so what do you make here?”

The opossum smiled. “Magnus industries got its start in steel. We helped build many of the original buildings and structures for the city. Nowadays though we manufacture all kinds of materials. Everything from high strength alloys for building, to simple plastics for commercial use. Mrs. Magnus has made sure that no matter what material is in demand we can reconfigure the factory floor in a matter of hours to meet the needs.”

As they reached the top of the stairs Judy found they were in a small but lavishly decorated waiting room. On the far side of the room a set of clouded glass doors no doubt led to Mrs Magnus’s office. On the left wall a large wooden desk had been setup. Opposite the desks on the right wall, a series of chairs for waiting. But they ignored the chairs and desk, following the opossum who stepped right up to the glass door before pushing them open and stepping through. The first thing Judy saw was a massive array of windows on the far side of the room. The large glass panels were easily the size of a car and looked down onto the factory floor where she could just make out the forms of people working. In front of the windows an elaborate desk sat, half of it covered in papers and work while the other half remained mostly empty save for a few photo frame. To their right a large lineup of cabinets had been setup and slightly in front of them a small seating area with a couch and a few lush looking chairs. As they entered the room the chair behind the desk turned, revealing and aged female cat with groomed black and white fur speckled with flecks of grey in a simple yet elegant blue dress.

“Mrs Magnus, these are the detectives who wished to speak with you.”

The cat in the chair nodded softly, her voice calm and polite but definitely aged. “Thank you Gregory. Why don't you take your lunch now? I think the officers and I may be talking for some time.”

The opossum nodded. “thank you ma'am can I get you anything before I go? Tea? Coffee? Anything for our guests?”

Mrs Magnus shook her head. “No thank you. We shall manage on our own. go, enjoy your lunch.”

Again the opossum nodded before turning and leaving the room, the doors clicking shut behind him. After a moment Mrs Magnus spoke. “I have run this factory for 35 years. He is by FAR the best assistant I've ever had.” slowly she got to her feet, her hand going to the desk for support as she walked around it. “my name is Victoria Magnus. Please call me Victoria, everyone does. I understand you're have some questions for me about… my brother?”

Judy nodded. “yes. We're investigating murder and we were hoping we could talk to you about it.”

In front of them Victoria sighed softly, her shoulders slumping a little. “it was terrible. It tore my family apart.”

Judy remained silent, watching as Victoria moved and picked up one of the pictures on her desk before offering to them to see. Stepping forward Judy took the picture finding an old black and white photograph staring up at her. In the photograph a family of cats stood in front of a large tree. In the back a tall male black cat with slicked back fur, next to him a female black cat with a spot of white over her left eye. Standing in front of them, a young female cat in a dress and next to her a young male cat in slacks and a simple button up shirt. From where she stood Victoria spoke. “that photo was taken during a family picnic. I was about 6 or so. Jack was 9.”

Turning the photo Judy allowed Nick to look at it. After a moment he commented, “looks like a nice family.”

At this Victoria chuckled. “looks can be deceiving detective.”

Judy blinked, looking up at her. “how so?”

Victoria smiled sadly. “see how my father's head is turned? How you can only see his right eye? That's because a few nights before this he got drunk. He and Jack got into a fight and ended up scraping like a couple a feral animals.”

Nick cocked his head. “what did they fight about?”

Again Victoria sighed. “my father was a…. difficult man. He was ruthless and cunning when it came to business. When he saw an opportunity he took it, even if it meant hurting others. Problem is… he wasn't like that in just in his professional life...”

 

\----

 

“YOU MISERABLE LITTLE SHIT!”

the sound of the yells made Victoria wince, her hands going to her ears as she clamped her eyes shut. She'd known tonight was going to be bad. Father had had an important meeting today, one that she'd found out hadn't gone well. Her mother had known instantly what that meant and had tried to protect them. She'd sent Victoria not to her room, but to a small hidden room they'd setup in the attic. It wasn't anything fancy, just a bed and a small light so she could see. But it got her out of her father's drunken rages more than once, so she wouldn't complain. She'd begged Jack to join her, knowing what would happen if he didn't. But Jack had said no, choosing to remain with mother to face down his drunken father. And now here she was, huddled under the blankets on her bed in the attic, struggling to block out the sounds from downstairs. She could hear her father bellowing in rage. The muffled sounds of her mother’ voice trying to calm the situation. And her brother's voice, calm and defiant. 

“I'M GOING TO RIP THAT DISRESPECTFUL TONGUE FROM YOUR MOUTH BOY!”

a second later the echoing sounds of a crash split the house. She could only imagine what was happening downstairs. She prayed Jack and mother would be ok. Father would usually tire himself out after a while, I'd they could keep out of-

But a new sound cut through her thought, this one a sound she'd never heard before; a low weak grunting. Taking a deep breath she willed herself out from under the covers. She couldn't hear the sounds of fighting anymore just a soft low groaning. Slowly she opened the door to the attic, stepping out of her hiding place. The house was oddly silent now, save for the low groans that she moved towards. Slowly she made her way towards the sounds peeking out from the doorway into the dinning room.

Father was laying on the floor in a heap. A ways away Jack was helping mother into a chair, a gash on the side of her face oozing blood. From his spot on the floor father groaned.

“kill…...when…..get up….”

Jack turned to look down at his father. “No. You won't. If you ever raise your hand to mother or my sister again, I'll beat you as bad as you've done to us.”

The look on Jack's face made it clear, he was not joking.

 

\------

 

“this photo was taken about three days later.”

Judy bit her lip, her heart clenching at the story Victoria had told. She could only imagine how hard it had been to grow up in a household like that. In Front of them Victoria sighed and put the photo down. “but i'm sure you didn't come here to talk about my family's domestic abuse issues. You said you had questions about my brother's murder?”

At this Judy nodded, mentally pulling herself back on track. “yes. We were wondering if you could shed some light on Jack as a person. If he might have had any enemies? What he was doing at the lounge that night?”

Victoria sighed again. “half the city secretly hated my brother. He wanted equality for everyone, not just the wealthy or the predators, but everyone. That made him pretty unpopular.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “what about the other half of the city?”

Victoria chuckled. “they loved him. He treated them fairly. I remember at one point the workers in this factory went on strike. They just walked off, said they wanted better pay, less hours. All of them predators and all of them arrogant. While they striked they left the few prey workers on the job. like they felt they were entitled to make money for no work just because they were predators. So Jack went to the slums in prey-side. He made an offer to anyone who was willing to listen. He'd pay them the same as the predators to work the factory until the remaining orders were filled. After that he'd consider keeping the people who had the best performance. The order was estimated to take nine months to complete. They finished it in six. They were so grateful for the jobs that they pulled all nighters, kept the factory running day and night for weeks at a time. And when the order was finished Jack kept them all. Said they had gone above and beyond anything could have asked them to do. He was a hero to a lot of people. Always figured that's what got him killed.”

Judy frowned. “what do you mean?”

Victoria shook her head sadly. “you have to understand, at the time everyone was abusing someone. Employers worked their employees to the bone. Men like my father destroyed entire businesses so they could swoop in and take over. Jack stood against that. Not only that, he called out those people who did it. Hell, the week before he was killed he stood up at a dinner thrown by the Maxwell family and accused the head of the family of cheating his employees out of their wages. I have no doubt that any of a dozen families or industries would have loved to see him dead. I have to imagine that he found something out, something that was REALLY damning to someone, and they had him killed to keep it all quiet.”

Judy nodded. “and Anna? Do you know anything about her?”

Victoria shook her head. “not really. My brother mentioned her in passing a few times. I figured she was a friend. Afterwards… when it started to come out that they were… more… I dug around in his room. Found several photos and letters he'd written to her. Learned a little from them. She was an orphan, parents died in some hovel from some illness that was probably treatable if they'd had money. Anna was taken in by the lounge owner. He had her work the lounge and bar to earn her keep, when she was older she started singing. Guess she wasn't the only kid there. But I never knew more than that.”

Sighing Judy nodded. “ok. Thanks. That's more than we knew before. Can we ask about the gun? It was registered to your brother. Any idea when or why he had it? Was he in trouble?”

This time Victoria chuckled, a cold hollow laugh that told Judy the question wasn't actually funny. “yeah. It was from me.”

Next to her Judy spied the curious flick in Nick's ears at that. “you?”

Victoria nodded. “when I found out he was going to the slums and prey-side on a regular basis… I didn't want him to be defenseless. I know its tasteless of me to say but… I didn't trust that the people there wouldn't try rob him or worse, even after all he'd done for them. I got him the gun, but I think he only ever carried it for my peace of mind. I… I regret that.” the sadness in her voice made those feelings very clear. 

After a few moments Nick spoke. “the officers who handled the original case didn't seem to do much of an investigation. Know why?”

Again Victoria chuckled coldly. “dear old daddy. When Jack died and it started coming out that he might have involved with a prey… father pulled some string and got the investigation stalled. The police were happy to do it. Everything seemed so plain and clear, they were all to happy to close the case. Probably also got paid under the table bury most of the reports and notes.”

Judy raised an eyebrow. “your father paid the police to ignore the murder of his son?”

Victoria shook her head. “not exactly. He paid them to ignore Jack's relationship with Anna. If you do that, what does it look like? A predator killing a prey but winds up getting killed too. And that's exactly what the police said happened.”

Nick shifted a little. “but you think otherwise?”

Victoria nodded. “I know so. My brother was a kind soul detectives. He wouldn't have been able to kill someone. Not even if his life depended on it. So the idea that he'd kill someone, let alone someone he was supposedly in love with… its impossible. Someone else had to have done it.”

Judy nodded. “any idea who?”

Victoria shrugged and shook her head. “like I said. My brother had A LOT of enemies here in the city. As rich as some of them were, I doubt it would have hard for them to arrange something like this. Although…” Victoria’s face creased in thought. “ now that I think about it, Jack was acting odd the week or so before he was killed. He became secretive. Wouldn't tell anyone where he was going. Kept showing up places late. Maybe he knew something was going on, and he went to Anna to warn her?”

Judy remained silent, watching as Victoria sighed again. It was odd how these questions seemed to age everyone they asked. Mr Dawson had looked so tired and frail as they'd spoke to him. Now Victoria seemed to age before their eyes, her form seeming to become weaker with each sigh. Glancing to Nick Judy watched as he closed the small notebook he'd been taking notes in. “thank you for your time Mrs Magnus. We're sorry to bring up the memory of this painful time.”

Victoria remained silent for several moments before responding. “officers… my brother was the best part of my life. My father was an abusive drunk. My mother, rest her soul, was kind but meek in ever sense of the word. My brother was the only good thing I had going for me. I know that sounds strange coming from someone from a family as rich as we were. But it is the truth. I don't know what happened that night. I don't know why he snuck away from the gala or why he was with that woman, but I know this.” she fixed them with a stern glare. “he didn't deserve that. For all his flaws, and believe me he had them. He didn't deserve to die, not like that.”

Judy nodded. “we understand Mrs Magnus. We're going to do everything we can to find out who did this.”

Next to her Nick spoke. “gala? What gala is that?”

Victoria shrugged. “there was a gala every year. Mostly as a way for the rich to show off, but everyone was there. Even my brother, although he hated it. I can only imagine he was using the gala as cover. With everyone of importance there, it would have been easy for him to slip out unseen.”

Nick nodded. “hmmm. Ok. Thank you.”

Victoria nodded. “of course. And… I do hope you'll keep me informed if you make any progress.”

Judy nodded again and Victoria smiled. “thank you.”

 

\--------

 

“so, any thoughts?”

She watched as Nick mulled the question over, his brain working through it like a puzzle. “I think I wanna talk to Mrs Maxwell as soon as possible. That's twice now that her family’s name has come up. And I can only imagine what being called liars and cheaters could have done to their business. Seems as good a reason as any to kill.”

Judy nodded. She'd been thinking along the same lines. “when is she supposed to be back from her resort?”

Nick shrugged. “tomorrow, but we'll see.”

They fell into silence, the only sound the rumble of their cruiser engine and the sounds of the city around them. Outside their car the midday sun was above head. Their shift was half over. Which meant that soon… they'd have to talk about what had happened that morning. That thought made her stomach lurch slightly as she recalled the roller coaster of emotions she'd been through that morning. She still wasn't completely sure what had come over her. She'd been watching Nick move away from her, the smell and warmth of his scent slowly fading and then…

He'd been so warm and soft, more than she'd ever imagined he would be. And somehow the idea of losing that, of going without his warmth or softness it had pulled her to her feet and across the room. Had made her practically beg him to stay. She'd hoped he'd say yes. But then…

Her mind slowly drifted back to that kiss, her lips tingling as she remembered the feeling of his lips against hers. It had all been so perfect, so beautifully perfect that her heart had melted in her chest. It wasn't just one-sided. He liked her too. Months of guilt and pain had evaporated in that split second. The feeling was beyond description, beyond words. He loved her back. And when he'd actually said the words… she'd been pretty sure she'd died and gone to heaven. And then her damned neighbors had ruined the moment. Mentally she grumbled at the damned nosey gazelles nextdoor. If they'd just minded their own business… maybe things would be different right now. Maybe she and Nick wouldn't be sitting in this awkward almost painful silence as they drove. Then again…

Judy bit her lip as she recalled the look on Nick's face. The expression of fear that had filled his features and made her almost stop cold in her tracks. One moment he'd been loving and then, he'd been scared out of his wits. That wasn't just something that happened. That wasn't the kind of reaction she expected from someone who was nervous or started by what had happened. That had been fear, honest and true fear; something she'd only ever seen on Nick's face a fee times and only when they were in an actual life or death situation. Somehow… kissing her… and admitting that he loved her… maybe him just as scared as the time they'd been forced to shoot their way out of a drug lord's warehouse. There had to be more to it than just the fear of being rejected. There was something else, something in Nick's past perhaps? In truth she didn't know that much about his life before she'd met him. Sure he'd talked about parts of it. She had a pretty good understanding of the three or four years before they'd met. But anything before that was mostly a blank, save for one or two little bits of info she'd learned. Had something happened to Nick in the past to make him be that afraid of a relationship?

She couldn't even imagine what would have done such a thing. As far as she knew Nick had never brought up any past relationships, not even when he had been drunk which was when he was most chatty. Now her mind was spinning, coming up with scenarios of what might have happened. He'd been in love before, another bunny in the fantasy; but she'd died and he'd sworn never to love again. He was dying and didn't want her to love him so that when he died she wouldn't be heartbroken. He'd been in an abusive relationship and anytime he'd shown love or caring he'd been hurt. He was scared of what others would think. He was afraid he'd forced himself on her. He… he…

_ CALM DOWN JUDY _

She took a deep breath, forcing her mind away from more scenarios, each one worse than the last. This wasn't helping. He'd said they could talk about it after their shift. And that was only in a few hours. For now she needed to focus. Her eyes flicked sideway to look at him, her heart clenching as she found his eyes were fixed firmly on the road.

_ Nick… _

 

_ \------ _

 

The rest of the shift passed by in a kind of daze. Most of it was spent back at the precinct doing research. The gala Victoria had mentioned had been the annual “gardens aglow” event where each year one of wealthiest families decorated the sprawling gardens on their estates and then hosted a huge party to show off. The year Jack had died the party had been at the Schrammeck family's estate, one of the more impressive mansion and grounds in the city at the time. They'd also looked into the Maxwell family, learning that the family of raccoons had made their fortune in shipping and transportation before branching out into other ventures. It was a little jarring to see how much influence some of the families used to have back in those times. She'd found an article from an old paper, detailing how another family; the Cartwrights had managed to secure hundreds of acres of land for the city to build on and as a result the eldest son at the time, a bobcat named Clay had been given an ‘honorary’ seat on the building council for Zootopia. Or how the Lindel family had bought their daughter out of a dozen vandalism and disorderly conduct charges before finally shipping her off to some reform school. It was insane how some of the families used to operate with almost immunity to the laws of the city. It was li-

“Hopps. Wilde. What are you to still doing here?” Blinking in surprise Judy looked up, finding the chief standing next to their desk looking at them. After a few moments the chief huffed and jerked his head outside. “I'm not going to approve any overtime for this case. Go home, come back in the morning. Don't make me make that an order.”

She bit her lip, looking to Nick who was looking down at the floor. “w-well…..let's go.”

His voice was cold, and almost without emotion. She watched as he got up. Turning off his computer before heading towards the elevator. She followed him, joining him in silence as they rode the elevator down to the motor pool and got into their car. Normally Nick would drive and they'd go to dinner somewhere. That was what they did almost every night, except tonight. Judy watched as Nick leaned forward, resting his forehead against the steering wheel before letting out a low groan. 

She wanted to speak, to ask him what was going on. Yet something told her to stay silent. That Nick would tell her everything she wanted to know if she just let him do it in his own time. And so she sat there, silently watching her partner take several deep breaths that made his shoulders shudder and shake. Then, softly Nick spoke. 

“when… I was in highschool… there was this girl… an arctic fox… named Jenny. She was smart, pretty, definitely part of the 'it’ crowd. But for some reason she and I were friends. My mom worked for her father as his secretary and when we'd been younger we'd met a few times at company picnics. Anyways… people used to make fun of us. Saying things like ‘opposites attract’ and shit like that. It became a kind of joke, people would think we were a couple cause we spent so much time together. And then… one day… I thought to myself… hey, let's make it not be a joke. So I asked Jenny to be my girlfriend. And she said yes.” Nick paused for a moment, taking another deep breath before continuing. “things started to fall apart almost instantly. She was from… well not as rich as some of the people we've met recently; but certainly upper class. And you know me, I sure as fuck aint high class. It became a nightmare. She always wanted to go do something expensive. Go see a show. go have dinner. Go shopping. I didn't even have a job and she wanted to do all these expensive things, all the time. that's when I started hustling. I figured out I could make a lot of money in a short time and she would be happy. But… after awhile… I wasn't happy. I was struggling to keep up with her and every time we'd go on a date all I could think about was ‘what will I have to do to pay for our next date?’ and after a while… I got sick of it. So I broke up with her. That… was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Not because I liked her…”

Judy felt her eyes widen a bit as Nick's grip on the steering wheel tightened. “...but because she was a vindictive little bitch. Practically the next day she started spreading lies and rumors about me. About how id been abusive, cold, sexually aggressive. How I treated her like shit and how I thought I was better than everyone else. About how I was practically a criminal and how I couldn't be trusted. Soon enough no one at school wanted to be around me. Even friends I'd had since elementary school stopped talking to me. It was like I was cursed. No matter what I did, she always found a way to make me seem like the bad guy. But… but that's… not the worst part.” again Nick took a deep breath, and it was then with a slightly jolt that Judy found she could hear the faint traces of a sob in his voice. “she started telling her father the lies. Not just about me but… about my mom. How she was stealing from the company. How she cheated him out of overtime pay and called in sick when she really wasn't. It cost my mom her job; MY fuck up, cost my mom her job. and it just kept getting worse and worse. We lost our house and had to move into a crappy apartment. Mom struggled to find work because she was a fox and cause anyone who called her last boss got told the same lies. And it was all my fault. I did that, I almost cost my family everything.”

Judy felt her heart clench painfully. “Nick, it's not yo-”

But he cut her off. “so I hustled more, did bigger and bigger scams so I could help pay for things around the house. I got caught a few times and soon enough… I’d become the criminal she'd told everyone I was. Just another lying cheating conniving fox that no one could trust. And I hated that, but I lived with it; for years. No one trusted me. No one… until… you.”

She fell silent, watching as Nick slowly looked sideways at her. “well, trust is maybe to strong of a word. But you didn't just immediately write me off as some lying cheating fox. And after a while… I started to remember what it had been like before. How it had felt to do honest work and not just hustle all the time. It felt good.”

She smiled weakly at him. She was glad she'd had a positive effect on his life. “but now… now i've fucked it all up. I fucked it all up and now things will go right back to the way they were before.”

Judy frowned at him. “why would things change?”

Nick laughed, a cold empty laugh that made her hair prickle. “please. Don't insult your intelligence. You're the ZPD's first bunny cop. The one who brought down the nighthowler conspiracy. I was just the tag along with a stick on badge. How long do you think it will take for Bogo or one of his bosses to come up with a reason to get rid of me? How many of our ‘friends’ will keep talking to me when they think I really am nothing but a lying cheating fox? None, and I'll go right back to here I as before.”

Again Judy frowned. “Nick, that doesn't make any sense.”

Again Nick laughed. “yeah it does. I couldn't even handle a highschool romance. How the fuck am I supposed to handle an adult relationship? I'll fuck it up, like I always do. I'll fuck it up, you'll leave me, and everyone will hate me only this time… this time…” His shoulders were shaking now. Tears rolled down Nick's face. “only this time I'll hate myself as much as everyone else does. Cause I ruined our friend with my stupid feelings.” as he finished a fresh wave if tears fell from his eyes. 

Judy felt tears well up in the corner of her own eyes, but somehow managed to keep them at bay. instead she moved, standing before stepping over the middle console and onto Nick’s seat. “Nick…” gently she touched his shoulder trying to comfort him.  It only seemed to make things worse as Nick's shoulders began to shake even hader. 

Through pained sobs he managed to choke out, “damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT! Why can't I keep from ruining things?! Why can't I do anything right?! Why… why did this happen?!”

Again Judy felt her heart clench painfully. She did the only thing she could think of, leaning in to pull Nick's head away from the steering wheel before holding it against her chest in a soft embrace. “shhh. It'll be ok.”

He reacted exactly how she'd expected, the weight of his body pressing against her as he buried his face against her chest and cried. His shoulders shook with the force of his sobs and she could feel her shirt getting damper by the minute. But she said nothing. Instead she just gently stroked his head soothingly. 

“I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. I tried so hard… to ignore it… wanted… it to go away… please don't… don't hate me. I'm sorry… I'm so…”

She held him closer. “shhhhh. I don't hate you Nick. I could never hate you. It's ok.”

She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that for. Time didn't seem to mean anything anymore. All she cared about was him. So she held him, gently doing her best to calm him. He'd been through more than she'd ever expected, no wonder he'd been scared. He'd probably spent his whole life after that, doing everything he could to avoid emotional attachments. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like. To have everyone turn on you and at the same time have your world crumble around you. It must have been… horrible. She held him a bit tighter. Willing him to understand that she would never do such things to him. Slowly his crying began to lessen, his shoulders shook less and less as he began to regain control. After several minutes she felt him shift a little, his head pushing against her grip. A sign she could let him go. She did, allowing him to lean back against his seat and take several deep breaths.

Slowly she stepped forward, gently cupping his cheeks in her hands. She could still see the pain in his face. “Nick, listen. I don't hate you. I could never hate you. I love you.”

Tears began to well up in Nick's eyes again. “b-but-”

It was her time to cut him off, gently leaning in to give him a soft kiss. He didn't resist or struggle, instead he kissed her back albeit a little more desperately than she was kissing him. After a few moments they broke apart, she put her hands on his chest. Gently pushing him back until he was sitting with his back against the seat. “for the last six months, I've been struggling with my feelings. Feelings that I wanted so badly to act on, but was terrified to acknowledge. I love you Nick Wilde. I want to be with you.” her hands drifted upwards, again cupping his cheeks in her grip. “I'll never hurt you like she did. I'll never hate you. If you'll let me, I'll be with you. Always.”

Tears gently trickled down the sides of Nick's face. Was this really happening? “I…..I…….I…..”

He was babbling, his brain struggling with all that had happened. He'd never told anyone about Jenny, not even Finnick. He'd never hoped that Judy would share his feelings, not for a single second. But now…

His arms shook as he pulled her against him. Only one thing filled his head, making him hold her tighter than he'd ever held anyone before. “I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you.” She held him back, mirroring his words each time. It was a dream. It had to be. There was no way it could be real. Except it was real, it WAS real. He really was holding the love of his life. He really had kissed her. She really did share his feelings. And most of all she REALLY wanted to be with him. It was all real. He didn't know what was going to happen next. He had no idea, no plan no nothing. He was flying blind, deaf and by the tip of his tail. But he didn't care. He didn't care because she would be there with him. That made him cling to her tighter, as if he was afraid she'd evaporate if he let go. Softly he heard Judy whisper into his ear. “come on. Let's go back to my...our place.”

Her words sent a shiver up his spine. Our, OUR. It made the whole situation seem so final. Like there was no other possible outcome except that he'd be with her. And he was ok with that. 1,000,000% ok with that.


	6. Letting Go (SMUT)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS NO PLOT AND ONLY SMUT  
> DONT WANNA READ SMUT? THEN DONT READ THIS CHAPTER

He gasped softly as she pushed him down onto the bed, slowly moving to straddle his hips as she ran her fingers over his shirt. He groaned softly, feeling as if he was in a dream. Was this real? Was he really here with her? He reached up, his hands shaking as they touched the fur on the side of her face. She certainly felt-

“Its real Nick. I promise.”

Those words made his choke a little, tears of joy welling up in his eyes. It was real. It wasn't a dream and it wasn't going to evaporate around him. It was real. Suddenly the urge overwhelmed him, and he pulled her down to his lips again, kissing her until his lungs ached and burns from their need for air. As she pulled away he spoke, desperate for her to understand the emotions behind his words. “I love you.”

She smiled down at him. A beautiful angelic smile that made his heart skip several beats and made more tears well up in his eyes. Above him Judy reached down, gently wiping away the tears in the corner of his eyes. “No more Nick. No more tears. For either of us.”

He nodded, struggling to find words. Slowly she leaned down, pressing their lips back together in another soft breathtaking kiss. As she did so her hands moved, gently slipping under his shirt to run along his stomach and chest, enticing a low moan from him. above him Judy smiled again, an unspoken approval as she moved her hands higher and higher taking his shirt with them. Shrugging and rolling his head Nick allowed her to pull his shirt away tossing it into the far side of the room, leaving him bare chested. A moment later she let out a soft moan of approval, her hands now running freely over his chest and through his fur. Making him moan at the contact.

_ Oh gods…. _

It was heaven. That's the only way to describe it. His back arched automatically pressing his chest up into her touch. “Hey… no fair.” as he spoke his hands drift to her sides, gently tugging at her own shirt. 

Above him Judy chuckles. “Go ahead, take it off.”

His heart picked up pace as he looked up at her. Was she serious? She sure looked serious. Was he-

Gently Judy pressed against his chest. “Its ok Nick. Really.”

He took a deep breath, his hands shaking slightly as he slowly began to move the fabric. His breath hitched in his chest as he slowly exposed Judy's hips, then her stomach, and then-

Above him it was Judy's turn to let out a soft moan, leaning forward into the touch as Nick's hands drifted over her chest. Nervously she bit her lip. She'd always been a little self conscious about her chest. It wasn't as big as some of her sisters’ and while that had been a good thing in the police academy, she could still remember in highschool feeling embarrassed about her lack of size. But now-

A shudder rippled through her body as Nick's fingers touched her, making her pant softly as he slowly lifted her shirt higher and higher, revealing more and more of her chest until she was completely exposed for him to see. His eyes widened a bit, probably at her lack of bra and again she felt her face flush a bit with embarrassment. She felt so exposed like this, with him looking up at her, staring at her and her chest. It was both thrilling and embarrassing and for a moment she felt the urge to hide herself. That was until-

Another shiver rippled through her, her face tingling slightly with embarrassed as Nick finished pulling her shirt completely off as he continued to stare up at her. Nervously she tried to speak. “I….I hope….”

But he spoke over her, his voice gentle and soft. “beautiful.”

She bit her lip, trying to conquer the fluttering feeling in her heart. She felt him shift, tugging her back down to him, their bare chests pressing together in a soft warm carres while their lips met again. Gods it felt so good to kiss him. Like some headache she'd had for months was finally dissipating and she could think clearly again. Slowly the kiss changed.

“Mmmmmm.”

The kiss deepened, becoming less romantic and more… feral. A shiver rippled up her spine as she felt his mouth open, his tongue gently pressing against her lips.

_ Oh sweet cheese and crackers. _

It felt so good and so wrong at the same tongue. She pressed back against the kiss, her mouth opening to allow him in while her own tongue came out to rub against his. That earned her a deep rumbling moan, that made his whole chest vibrate and rattle. She could feel it inside her, that itching burning wanting NEEDING heat. The very heat she'd ignored and pushed down for years so she could focus on being a police officer. Now it roared to life inside her, demanding attention; making her pant and groan needily as she and Nick broke apart. Beneath her Nick chuckled. “Horny bunny.”

She opened her mouth to protest, to say that that was a stereotype that was completely untrue. But her protest vanished as Nick gently ran his hands over her chest again, making the fire inside her flicker and grow a bit. Oh gods the room was so hot now, it felt like an oven. She panted, feeling as if her fur was on fire. Again Nick touched her chest, this time-

“Aaaaah.”

A decadent forbidden completely perverted shudder rolled through her as she felt his hard claws brush against her fur. It sent ripples through her, making her shake as she struggled with the sudden rush of want and the nearly crushing need she was feeling. She panted hungrily, every hair of her aching for more. She practically attacked Nick, her hands fumbling clumsily with his pants, struggling to undo his belt. Every part of her body was screaming at her, telling her to rip off his pants and do UNSPEAKABLE things to him.

“ah ah ah.”

Suddenly he was moving, grabbing her wrists and-

“Ooooooh gods!”

Another shudder rippled through her, the fire in her body growing stronger as she found herself pinned to the bed, with Nick straddling her hips and grinning down at her. Again she shuddered, her eyes going to his teeth, noting how big and sharp they looked. She struggled against his grip, her want burning inside her like a white hot coal as he effortlessly pinned her down. Suddenly a new feeling hit her, a feeling that made her eyes clamp shut, her back arched against the mattress and deep long wanting moan slip from her mouth. Her body acted on its own, her legs struggling against his weight, trying to spread wider as he repeated the movement; grinding his hips into hers.

“aaaaaah.”

Above her Nick grinned. One of his hands came up, gently pressing against her chest until with a jolt she felt his claws touch her skin. Slowly the hand began to move, trailing painfully agonizingly maddeningly slow down her chest, across her stomach and-

“N-n-Nick!”

She squirmed under him struggling against his weight as she felt his claw hook the edge of her pants before it continued to move downward, taking her pants with it The fire inside her roared again as she felt the night air rush over her hips and thighs as Nick slowly tugged her pants away. It was impossible to describe, the rush the thrill the complete need that boiled and raged inside her as she felt her pants vanish, leaving her in just her panties. Correction, her soaking wet panties. She felt her face flush, a fresh wave of embarrassment washing over her as she realized how wet she'd become. Gods she felt like she was going to explode! She needed him! She grunted and struggled against him, desperate for him to be as exposed as she was. Above her Nick smirked. “oh my officer hopps such a-”

“GAH!”

something came over her. Some reserve of strength she never knew she had flashing through her as she pushed up against him. A look of surprise and alarm flickered across nic's face as suddenly he found himself pushed back, off balance for a moment. A moment later she hit him like a linebacker, shoving him down onto the bed before grabbing at his pants again. This time her hands were more sure and steady quickly tugging away the belt before yanking the button open and pulling down the zipper before-

It was his turn to shiver now, the cool night air feeling impossible to describe as it washed over his most sensitive place. Some part of him, the part of his brain not thinking of ravaging every inch of Judy’s body; was mildly impressed that she'd managed to pull down not only his pants but his underwear too. Another part of him, the part that was now exposed was focusing on other things. above him Judy had frozen her head tilted down, as if she was surprised by his organ. He watched her closely, noting how her eyes slowly roved over his newly emerged member. Vaguely he wondered if she'd ever seen a male's organ before, outside of textbooks or combat class. He squirmed nervously at that thought, slightly embarrassed at the idea. The ‘other’ part of him throbbed at the idea, clearly not against it.

“it's…” her voice was low and a bit husky. “...big…”

Again the ‘other’ part of him throbbed at the comment, as if it were trying to show how big it could get. He looked up at her, and for the first time he could see the small indications of uncertainty. “is...is everything….ok?”

She looked at him, her lip creasing slightly; telling him that she was biting it. When she spoke her voice was still low, but also reflected that air of uncertainty he could see in her expression. “y-yeah. Just… never… I just need a minute.”

It was odd. One moment she'd been on fire, every hair on her body screaming at her to let Nick ravage her. But now… now those voices had quieted; mostly….for now. She looked down at his new exposed organ. She'd seen them in books and in health class back in highschool, well rabbit ones anyways. But she'd never actually seen one in person. It looked… almost alien. Like Nick's fur it was red, but a deeper red with bits of pink mixed in. It was longer than she'd expected it to be and certainly thicker than she'd ever thought.  _ How does he walk with this? _ The base flared out from Nick's body forming a small kind of ‘bulb’. His shaft was thick and fleshy. She could see a few veins pulsing slightly. His tip tapered to a kind of point, the ‘top’ of it a bit longer than the underside. And-

“we...if you don't...we don't...have...to.” His words made her look at him. She could see the concern in his features, the worry, but also love and caring. For a moment those things drowned out her body's wants, making her heart flutter. She moved cupping his face with her hands before gently kissing him. He was so sweet. Here he was, CLEARLY aroused and wanting, but still he was thinking of her. As they broke apart she heard him speak softly. “I…..don't…..wanna force….”

She smiled reassuringly at him. “its ok. I want to. I….just….can I touch it?”

She smiled as his ears flicked sideways and half down, a sign she'd learned a long time ago signalled his embarrassment. “s-sure.

She bit her lip again, her eyes drifting back to his organ. Slowly she shifted, turning to her back was to his head. In front of her Nick's member visibly throbbed with it's want for attention. She took a deep breath, her hand slowly reaching out and-

“Mmmm.”

The soft moan made Nick's chest vibrate under her as her fingers brushed against the side of his member. She glanced back at him, noting how his breathing had changed; becoming a bit more labored. She ran her fingers along his length, slowly letting them drift down to the bulb, feeling how the flesh there felt warmer and firmer than his shaft. When her hand drifted upwards she found he let out a whimper as her fingers ran along his tip. Again his organ throbbed, this one stronger than the ones before it. His breathing had picked up again too, now coming in a rhythmic pant. Emboldened by his response she shifted a bit, moving a little closer while gently wrapping her fingers around his length. She wasn't completely ignorant of what to do, when she'd been a teen she'd seen things…. Online. And some of her sisters… had talked about it. At the time they'd embarrassed her, but now…

“aaaaaah.”

She felt him squirm under her, hid hips pressing up against her weight as she began to move her hand, running it up and down along his organ. She felt a small pang of smugness ripple through her. She changed her speed occasionally and noting how Nick's moan became higher pitched when she went faster and lower when she went slower.  _ Damn, this is kinda fun _ . She turned, looking back at Nick so she could watch his expressions change. His eyes had drifted closed, his mouth hung open his tongue hanging half out. Occasionally when she moved faster he'd squirm under her, his head tilting backward to press against the mattress. She couldn't help it, a giggle slipping out of her at his almost comical expression. “pervy fox.”

At her words his eyes opened looking to her. “sh-sh-shu-aaaaaaa!”

She smirked at him, running her fingers over his tip making him gasp, his head snapping back. Again she giggled. “now I know how to make you be quiet.”

Again he managed to look at her, and now she could see a new expression in his face. “o-oh y-yeah?”

She felt him move under her, his stomach flexing and writhing. A moment later she felt his hands on her hips, pulling them backwards and out from under her. She let out a small gasp, suddenly finding herself on her stomach but still on top of him. What was he-

“N-N-Nick!”

Every hair on her body stood up in shock, her back arching and her mouth opening without her will as she felt something hot. Impossibly wonderfully decadently hot brush against her most sensitive place. For a split second pleasure flashed through her body, making her pant and shiver as in vanished in the same heartbeat it had appeared in. Behind her Nick chuckled, she could almost hear the smirk in his voice. “you say some thi-ahhhh!”

This time it was Judy's turn to smirk, running her hand down Nick's shaft to squeeze the bulb at the base. She grinned, feeling superior that she had-

“hmmm. Then again. It's not really fair.” suddenly a new feeling rippled through her, one that made her eyes widen and her mouth open in a savage pant. She shuddered. A feeling of pure arousal and a deep instinctual unexplainable fear ripping through her body as she felt one of Nick's nails puncture the thin fabric of her panties. Suddenly another, and another; each one making her gasp as another deep shudder rippled through her.  _ Oh gods! _

The heat was back, boiling and raging inside her as she felt Nick's claws brush against the fur under her panties. Behind her Nick chuckled. “someone is enjoying themselves.”

Her face burned and for a moment she wondered if her fur had actually turned red. She knew what was coming next. It thrilled her and terrified her at the same time. She felt his claws moving through her fur, gently grazing her skin. Not enough to hurt her but enough to-

RIIIIIII-  

That sound made her eyes widen, her entire body shaking as suddenly the feeling of the cool night air washed over her hips and thighs. Despite the air somehow she felt like she was melting.

-IIIII-

She shuddered, a deep carnal want rolling through her body. She was exposed now. Nothing between Nick and her but space, space her body desperately wanted to close.

-IIIIIIP

It was impossible to describe, the knowledge that she was completely naked and exposed to him. That he was seeing her now in her most vulnerable, her most intimate, her most-

“AAAAAAAAH!”

the air exploded from her lung, her head snapping back, her eyes going wider than they'd ever gone before. A storm of pleasure battered her body, making her pant and struggle to breath. She could feel it. His hot slick wet tongue licking her, lapping at her wet sex. It felt like she was going to explode, her mouth hung open in a near continuous moan. Her mind was nearly on overload. How had she EVER suppressed these feelings? She could feel It inside her. That white hot coal that was only growing in heat, making her sweat and pant as if she was wearing full tundra gear in the middle of sahara square. She couldn't feel any better. Her mind physically couldn't handle an mo-

It happened in slow motion. One moment she felt his tongue against he sex. Could feel the hot slick appendage licking and lapping and then. And then she felt the pressure against her sex begin to grow, could feel him pressing it against her pulling her hips back so the pressure grew and grew until-

“Nick!!”

It felt like she was exploding. Every hair on her body was standing on end. Her heart felt like it was going a million miles an hours. Her body wouldn't stop shaking. Her mind had gone completely blank, swept away by the numbing amount of pleasure she was feeling. It was so much, almost to much, and yet also not enough. She could feel his grip on her hips, firm yet still loving. Hid tongue, oh sweet cheese and crackers. His tongue felt like a gift from lion christ himself. She'd always teased him, told him he had a golden tongue but now, now gold didn't seem to do it justice, no word did. All she could do was cling to him, her body shaking and battered by mind numbing pleasure and pray that she didn't explode from all that was happening.

He couldn't help but smirk a little. He was pretty sure Judy had climaxed the second his tongue had entered her. And judging by how she was acting now, he was fairly sure that it had been a BIG one. Part of him wanted to do more. He wasn't a stranger to this, a few drunken nights at various bars had led to him waking up in a few unknown apartments with an unknown female; and in one bazaar instance a male coyote. He was curious, how much of this could she handle? She was already panting and shaking like a leaf, her scent filled every part of the room, practically smothering his own. Not that he minded, her scent was amazing. Musky yet flowery, sweet yet sour, heavy yet ligh-

He felt a smile twitch his mouth as she let out another deep moan, her body shuddering violently. She'd stopped moving her hand now, not that he really minded. The chorus of moans, pants, gaps and grunts was more than enough to keep him aroused. He kept her like this for a while, his tongue gently probing and exploring her insides, earning himself more moans and grunts as she responded to his explorations. Then slowly he started to pull back, his licks and attentions softening and lessening. Slowly he withdrew his tongue from her body, noting a weak moan she let out at the loss of contact. He didn't break it all, gently pressing his lips to her sex in a soft kiss. At this he earned a kind of soft embarrassing squeak from her. He could feel her shaking and panting, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to breath. She was laying flat against him, her head resting on his thigh, her breath gently wafting against his member. For a moment he wondered if he'd overdone it. 

Maybe it was… presumptuous but it sure seemed like maybe, just maybe; this was her first time doing anything like this. Had he maybe pushed her a little to far into that sea of pleasure? “hey… are you…. ok?”

For a few frantic heartbeats she didn't respond and truly did begin to worry. Maybe he had pushed her to far and over done it. 

But then softly she responded, her voice shaking like the rest of her. “y-y-y-yeah.”

He felt a small wash of relief rush through him. He moved, gently rotating her so she was laying with her head against his chest. She looks so sweet, so beautifully. It took his breath away for a moment as he stared at her. He was so lucky, SO lucky. After a few moments Judy moved, slowly lifting her head up. “that…. was……. amazing.”

Nick felt his face flush a little with embarrassment. He wasn't sure why but… somehow… being told that what he had just done… had been amazing, was embarrassing. She seemed to be regaining her strength now. She was moving, sitting up to look at him. He swallowed nervously. Her expression was impossible to misunderstand. The slightly bit lip, the bedroom eyes, the way her ears were laying back; no doubt in his mind what she was thinking about. As if to confirm him suspicions Judy leans in. Whispering into his ear. “I...wanna make you feel the same way.”

Oh gods that sent shivers through his body, making his fur stand on end and his organ throb in agreement. He swallowed again, his throat having gone suddenly dry. “I…..I…..are….”

He wanted it. There was NO way he could deny that. Every fiber in his body was growling at him to pin her down, bury himself inside her and breed her like a feral animal. And yet...he could feel fear gnawing at his insides. She was so perfect, so beautiful, so…. Angelic. if he did that, if he did every perverted and feral act his brain was screaming at him to do to her, would she ever be able to look at him again without seeing that side of him?

“Nick…” her voice grabbed at him. Making his eyes widen a bit. “, I want you.”

Oh gods he could feel his resolve crumbling around him. He wanted her so badly it hurt and she wanted him too. He wanted to grab her and pin her down. Wanted to slam inside of her and make her make every noise possible. He wanted to fill her with ever possible feeling of pleasure and fill her with his pleasure too. And he wanted to it over and over and over and over and over until neither of them could move for the next month. His breathing quickened and his hands shook as he gripped her hips. He wanted to do so much to her, and yet... 

His voice shook with the effort to hold himself back as he spoke. “h-h-h-how d-d-do y-y-yo-you wa-want t-to d-do it?”

she felt her eyes widen at the question and again her heart fluttered. She could practically feel the want and need rolling off him in waves. And yet even now he was thinking of her. Even now when she had given him free resign to do almost ANYTHING to her, he was still thinking of her. It was impossible. No one could possibly be that sweet or caring. And yet here he was, doing exactly that. She kissed him again, a deep passionate wanting kiss. One that seemed to both go on forever and last only a few seconds. As she broke apart she shifted her hips, allowing the tip of his organ to brush between her legs.

_ Oh sweet cheese and crackers! _

It was like fireworks going off in her brain. Just from this simple touch. Under her Nick gasped, the grip on her hips tightening a little. They both wanted it, which meant only one thing. She bit her lip. Forcing herself to breath as slowly and calmly as she could. She felt him shift under her, gently adjusting the angle of her body until-

For a moment her mind cleared, the realization of what was happening hitting her full force. Was she really about to do this? Everything up until this point they could undo. But this…. this was…..

She looked down at Nick, their eyes connecting for a moment. She could still see it, the carrying, the worry. It was all there in his face and no doubt in her own. And yet right then and then as he held her, his tip pressed against her entrance she couldn't think of any reason to stop this. She'd loved him for so long. He'd loved her for just as long. They'd both suffered in silence, not knowing if the other felt the same way. And now they both clearly wanted this. She bit her lip looking down at him. She wanted to do something. Something to tell him it was ok. That she wanted this. That a part of her NEEDED this as much as she needed air or water. How could she say that? How could she explain the boiling writhing storming tangle of emotions inside her? How-

“I love you.”

His words were so soft, so tender, so pure. They took her breath away, made her heart flutter and almost made her swoon. “I love you too.”

She leaned down, kissing him again. Her eyes drifting closed as she Savored the warm golden glow that the contact filled her with, loving every moment of it. How had she ever gone without this? How had she ever thought he wouldn't share her feelings? How-

She felt him move beneath her, slowly the pressure against her entrance grew and grew and grew until finally…

“aaaaah!”

“aaaaaah!”

It was like a taser to her brain. A shot to her heart. A lighting bolt to her body. Her eyes snapped open, her back arched and her mouth flew open even though no sound came out. It was impossible to describe. The feeling of the tip of his member inside her was beyond understanding. That feeling only grew as more of his member slipped inside her, making her eyes go wider and her mouth opened more. Her hands bunched into fists, pulling fistfulls of his fur making him grunt as more of him slipped into her. 

_ Oh gods. OH GODS. OH GODS! _

It felt like she was going to break in two. He was stretching her, making her feel impossibly full, but at the same time she found herself craving more. Another few inches slipped into her, making her breath explode from her lungs. The fire inside her roared happily, finally getting what it had craved for years. Another few inches and she felt her voice returned, the loudest sound she'd ever let out; a deep echoing shaking moan erupting from her mouth. She could feel Nick's grip on her hips. Almost painfully tight against her fur and skin. And suddenly she felt the last inch slip inside her, her hips coming to rest against Nick's. Her head felt like it was in the clouds, her mind was almost drunk off this feeling. She felt Nick's grip leave her hips. Making her look down at him. His face was scrunched up into an almost pained expression. His hands had balled into fists, his claws were out and even as she watched he grab fistfulls of the blankets clawing and rippling at them. 

“n-Nick?”

Had she done something wrong? Had she made him mad? Had-

When his eyes opened there was a look in them. A look she'd never anyone have before. An intense burning concentrated focus that made a shiver go up her spine that had nothing to do with what was happening. When he spoke. It was through gritted teeth in an almost pained voice. “I….. won't… move…. till……. you're…. ready.” she watched as he clawed at the blankets his hands and claws constantly flexing and unflexing. “I...WON’T…. MOVE…... I WON'T…..”

She could only imagine what this must feel like for him. To be soooo close but to have to hold himself back. This must have been torture. She forced herself to breath. Willing herself to adjust as quickly as possibly to the new sensations that him being inside her brought. Slowly it began to change. The feeling of being painfully stretched lessened, replaced by a feeling of hot fullness. The feeling of being invaded feeling more like, being connected. Even her breathing changed, the short quick gasps becoming long shaking pants. After several minutes she looked back down at Nick. “o-ok.”

He didn't move, the pained expression didn't change. Had he not heard her? “o-ok Nick. Im o-ok now.”

Again he didn't didn't respond but she felt a violent shiver ripple through him. “Ni-AAAH!

suddenly the world moved, spinning violently as Nick exploded under her. For a split second she felt almost weightless. A moment later her back hit the bed the feeling of his weight on her’s pinning her down. She blinked the sight of his wild and feral expression meeting her gaze, sending a jolt through her. Her breath hitched in her chest as she felt him move, his arms coming down just above her shoulders while his legs hooked around hers, pushing them up and a little wider. Her heartbeat jumped as she realized what was happening. How long had he ignored his urges? How many times had he denied himself release? He was just like her. Only this whole time, even when he'd finally gotten what he wanted, he'd kept himself restrained. Always focusing on her, until now. He'd reached his limit. And now he couldn't hold himself back any longer.

She felt him move, his weight pressing down on her making her whimper slightly as the movement sent dull rushes of pleasure through her. She moved without thinking, wrapping her arms around his neck. No matter what happened neck, she wasn't going to let go. Not now, not EVER again.

She felt him shift, his weight lifting off her; an automatic uncontrollable whimper slipped from her as she felt his presence inside her withdraw. A second later his weight came crashing back down, slamming back inside of her in the blink of an eye. There was no possible way to understand the noises she was making now. Everything from moans and whimpers to grunts and screams exploded from her mouth as she clung to him as tightly as she could. The white hot coal inside her had erupted, becoming a sun that felt like it was burning through her. Each thrust brought a new level of ecstasy and pleasure, a new sound for her to make a new need for him to keep going. He was like a wild animal, growling and grunting and finally giving in to his urges as he savagely dominated her.

Hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, millennia could have passed and she wouldn't have noticed. If it didn't involve Nick it fell away, vanishing beneath the boiling bubbling writhing abyss of pleasure that roared and grew with each new thrust. She wasn't even sure she was alive anymore. Maybe she had died and this was heaven. She didn't care. She clung to him struggling to keep her grip as the pleasure lashed up at her, grabbing her and trying to pull her away him. She wouldn't let go. Not ever. It had taken so much to get here and now she wasn't ever going to lose this.

His thrusts has changed, becoming shorter but faster making her pant and struggle to breath. The sun inside her was shrinking, growing smaller and smaller but hotter and hotter. It felt like she was in an oven but at the same time a freezer. She could hear herself making noises and yet there was no way to know what they were. Above her Nick was grunting his thrusts becoming stronger and stronger and stronger until-

All at once Judy felt Nick's weight crash down on her, his entire length slamming inside her roughly making stars explode in front of her eyes. A second later-

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

the star inside her burst. Waves of fire, pain, pleasure and a million other things flashed through her her, over her and around her. For a moment it felt like she really had died. Her heart stopped, her brain froze and her entire body went numb. She was floating now. Her eyes slowly opened and she found she wasn't alone. He was there too, looking down at her an expression of fear and concern on his face. She knew exactly what he was thinking before he ever said anything. Before he could even think about wondering about what to say she grabbed him, her hands grabbing the back of his head before pulling him down and crushing their lips together. It wasn't the best kiss they'd had that night, not even close. But it was the most passionate the most necessary, the one kiss that night that meant more to her than anything else. 

Slowly reality began to filter back in around them. The sounds of the city. The feelings of the blankets. The contact of their fur against each others. The fatigue she was feeling from having held him so tightly. And a new feeling, one she'd never-

“mmmmmmmmm”

A new sound came from her. A deep shuddering content moan that made her whole body vibrate softly. Deep inside her she could feel the new feeling. Warm and sticky, it brought with it another feeling. A soft kind of….

She looked at Nick, feeling his hand on her stomach. He seemed to be almost in a daze, his eyes were unfocused and his legs wobbled a bit. But his touch was soft, loving and perfect as it just ran along her stomach. She smiled at him, and he smiled back a goody almost drunk smile that matched exactly how she felt. 

“pervy fox.”

“horny bunny.”

For a few moments they lay there, both of them panting and exhausted. The ghosts of pleasure still wafting through their bodies. he could feel his mind starting to come back, now that his carnal side had been sated. He wished he could stay like this forever. It was perfect and warm to lay here with her. But if he didn't move soon; he forced himself to move. Slowly drawing his hips away from Judy. His movement made her groan softly. He smiled at that. He missed the contact too. But any second now-

As if on que he felt the throb ripple through the base of his organ, a sign that his feral biology was still working. He moved back to her, laying to her side and resting his head on her shoulder. She looked at him, perhaps confused as to why he'd broken their contact. He leaned in, gently kissing her cheek. “don't think…. you were ready for THAT.”

As she continued to frown Nick nodded downward a bit. He watched as her eyes dropped to his hip, before going wide a split second later as she found that the bulb at the base of his member how grown and expanded. “w-wha?”

He smiled, nuzzling her neck gently. “its normal. All canine species have it. Just… didn't want to freak you out.”

She looked at him, her eyes still wide. “why?”

Nick shrugged. “It's a holdout from when we were feral.”

She glanced back down at his knot again. “Tth-thanks. I….um….”

He could see her blushing, somehow making her even more adorable than she already was. But there was more to her expression. He could see fatigue in her face. He shifted, pulling her against him before slowly rolling onto his back so she was on top of him. With a bit of wiggling and maneuvering he managed to grab one of the blankets at the edge of the bed with his foot before slowly passing it up to his hands. He covered them both, somehow making them feel just as intimate as they had been a minutes ago. He sighed softly, he could feel his own fatigue calling to him. But he resisted, instead speaking slowly. “I love you.”

She looked at him, the traces of fatigue stronger now. They were both exhausted. He wrapped his arms around her, using the last of his strength to pull her up so her head rested against his chin. He groaned softly as his eyes drifted closed, the feeling of her nuzzling his neck feeling like the most perfectly perfect thing he'd ever felt. 

“Love you….too.”

Sleep took them both a second later.


	7. Road Trip

He was someplace warm, soft, and not alone. He groaned softly his brain slowly starting to work as the phantoms of sleep ebbed away as reality began to become real again. He'd had the most wonderful dream, the most wonderfully perfect dream. He'd confessed to Judy, shed returned his feels and they'd…

Again he groaned softly the memories of what had followed washing over him. It had been wonderful and forbidden, something so perfect he'd never hoped to actually experience it. But as his continued to wake up something occurred to him. He wasn't in his bed, under his blankets or against his pillow, and this CERTAINLY wasn't Finnick pressed against his chest. More memories began to come to him. Kissing Judy that morning. An entire day of painfully awkward attempts to avoid looking at her. The gnawing twisting feeling as he'd told her about jenny. The soft gently way she'd held his head as he'd sobbed. The words she'd spoken, softly telling him that she loved him. The rush of emotions he'd felt when she'd said “our apartment.” He bit his lips still more memories rushing past him. Last night had been… real. It wasn't a dream or a fantasy or some figment of his desperate imagination, right? This certainly felt like Judy in his arms. It certainly smelled like her bed and he certainly felt as if he and she had…

Swallowing nervously Nick forced himself to movie, his eyes opening slowly. For a moment the world around him was a bright blurry mess, His eyes being unfocused from sleeping. But slowly the world began to focus, he felt his breath catch in his chest. She really was there, in his arms with her head resting softly on the pillow next to his. Unlike him though she was already away. Her beautiful perfect soulful eyes meeting his. For a few heartbeats they just stared at each other, a silent deep stare that somehow seemed to confirm that every memory of last night was true.

“Hi…”

It was such a simple words, something normally used so casually. But after everything that had happened it seemed to have new weight behind it. It wasn't just a word not anymore. It had become something sweeter, more tender. Something spoken not between friends, but between two people in love and together.

“Hi…”

He watched silently as her eyes flickered over his face, no doubt searching for any hidden emotions. After a few moments she spoke. “are… are you gonna freak out?”

He took a deep breath at her question. He certainly could freak out right then and there. Their relationship had changed, in a way that it could never go back from. Not only that but the city would have it's own opinions on them, opinions that would be shared whether they were wanted or not. Not to mention work, Judy's family, their friends and- 

But those worries fell away as he moved, shifting under the warm soft blanket so he could pull her against his chest. He held her close, feeling her against him. The softness of her fur, the warmth of her body, the gentle way her head rested against his chest. He was still afraid, even now he could feel the fear inside him like a cold heavy weight in the pit of his stomach. But somehow laying here with her in his arms, those fears seemed lessened. That made him hold her tighter, taking a deep breath before he spoke. “I…” he took another breath, allowing her scent to fill his nose and lungs. “I'm still scared… I've never… had a good relationship. But…” he looked down at her, the sight of her beautiful angelic face looking up at him making his heart skip a beat. “but I can't imagine my life without you. And… and now… that I have you here, in my arms… I…I…” he shifted a bit, biting his lip as he held her; tears starting to well up in the corners or his eyes. “I don't think… I can't… I can't let you go. Not ever. Judy…” he was looking her in the eyes now. Willing himself not to start crying as he struggled to speak the last few words. “I love you. I love you so much. I… I…I… “

His voice broke, his throat constricting as his emotions overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes, trying to will away the tears that were trickling down the sides of his face. He felt her move and for a moments the fear bubbled over, the sickening horrifying worry that she was going to leave him overwhelmingly his mind. He gripped her tighter, a deep shuddering whimper escaping his mouth. 

“Nick…” her voice cut through the fear, and although he still clung desperately to her he found himself opening his eyes and-

His breath caught in his chest as he looked at her. She'd moved closer now. He could see himself reflected in her eyes. Those eyes  those amazing beautiful eyes. Those eyes had cut through his mask, his defenses, the armor he'd spent years building up. In a split second those eyes had cut through it all, and she'd seen the truth that he'd forgotten. That he really was a good person. That he wasn't just some lying scheming fox but-

Gently she kissed him. Not a frantic or lustful kiss like the ones last night. The kiss was soft, loving, it filled him with a warmth that started in his stomach and slowly spread through his whole body. That warmth calmed him, pushed away the cold fear that had rushed through him. When the kiss broke she spoke, her voice soft. “so emotional.” gently she reached up, wiping away the tears from his eyes with a small chuckle. He looked at her, so many thoughts and words swirling around his head. As she she knew what he was thinking Judy spoke. “can I ask you something?” He blinked before nodding, watching as she laid her head down on his arm before continuing. “when did you….first….realize… that you liked me more than as a friend?”

At once the memory came flooding back to him, as clear as if it had happened 10 minutes ago. “remember when you got hurt during that raid? When that junkie threw you to the ground and dropped and entire meth lab on top of you?” he watched as she nodded before continuing. “when they had you in observation, I… I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand not knowing what was happening or how you were. I kept trying to get the doctors to tell me or let me see you, but they saying if I wasn't family I couldn't see you. And… “ he broke off for a moment, the memory of those three days making him remember the helplessness he'd felt every moment he'd gone without knowing what was happening to her. “... I just kept thinking… how I should have been with you, doing SOMETHING to help.”

It was true he'd been a wreck for those three days; he'd didn't sleep, he barely ate. the only reason he hadn't passed out in the waiting room was because clawhauser had checked in on him several times to make sure he was at least drinking and eat something. Even if it was just a cup of water and a granola bar. Actually he'd almost not even done that, but clawhauser had reminded him that if Judy got better but then he was in the hospital it wouldn't do anyone any good. “and I just… I kept thinking about you and how much you've changed my life. How if I didn't have you around my life would be so much worse off. And…” he moved, his hand running along Judy’s arm before cupping her hand. “how I wanted to be there with you. No matter what. I… that's when I first knew.”

He watched as she lay there for a few moments, processing what he had said. Then, slowly; “you sweet fox. You unbelievably sweet fox.” one of her hands returned to his face, gently stroking his cheek while pulling him forward into another soft kiss. He was starting really love these kisses. They-

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The screech of the alarm made him flinch, his ears flattening against his head at the sudden unwelcome into their private moment. Next to him Judy squirmed, slowly rolling over so she could pound the off button on the clock with her fist. In the sudden silence of the apartment he found his mind going back to last night, to what she'd said in the car.  _ Our apartment _ . Next to him Judy was stirring, her arms and legs moving and stretching under the blankets before slowly sitting up and looking sideways at him. “time to get up Nick. Chief will give us parking duty for a month if we're late again.”

Nick groaned. The bed was so warm and soft, like a heated cloud. “nnnnn. Fox has encountered and error and must shut down. Try again later.” to be dramatic he closed his eyes and began to snore dramatically. She giggled at his joke and after a second he opened one of his eyes to look at her. “if I get up, what do I get out of it?”

He watched as her expression became thoughtful, no doubt thinking of all the things she could bribe him with. “Weeeeell, what if we swung by Doni and Roni's on the way to work. We could get those donuts of yours that you love.”

THAT made him open both eyes, his mouth almost starting to salivate. He hadn't had their donuts in aaaaages. Then again, he could probably hold out for a tiny bit more. “what else?”

She frowned at him. “Nick.”

 

He shrugged from under the blankets. “what? They're good, but this bed is great. All soft and cozy...” he squirmed dramatically under the blankets. “...plus…” he turned, pressing his nose to the pillow and taking a comically long sniff. “... They smell like my favorite person in the world.”

 

She blinked at him for a moment before responding. A soft smile spreading across her face. “ok. I see your point. Hmmmm. Oh!” her expression changed, the smile vanishing to be replaced by-

He felt a shiver ripple through him as she looked at him. That was certainly not a look she'd given him before. Not before last night, that was for sure. “how about this?” she leaned in, her nose gently nuzzling his neck and cheek while her hand slipped under the covers and gently trailed from his fur and towards his hips. Huskily she whispered into his ear. “if you get up now. Tonight, when I shower. You can join me and help make sure every. Single. Inch. Of my body is clean.” as she spoke her hand drifted lower slipping down to-

Again he shuddered, his heartbeat quickening at those words. After a few seconds he swallowed, his voice shaking a bit as he responded. “Th-that-” he cleared his throat, trying to sound more like his usual self, even as her hand continued to rub and caress him. “that sound like a… fair trade.” 

Neck to him Judy chuckled softly. “thought so. Now then, it time to wake UP.” again her hand moved, pressing and rubbing in just the right spot. Earning her a deep uncontrollable moan of want. His body was starting to respond to her touches, the familiar tingle starting to grow. But a moment later that moaned turned to a whimper as her hand left his hips, instead moving to pat his stomach before she got up and out of the bed. He watched as she gave him a small smirk. A smirk he replied to with a small smile. “pervy bunny.”

She smiled back at him. “horny fox.”

Slowly he sat up, suddenly reaching out to grab her and pull her back to the bed and into his lap. She squirmed at the move. “n-ni-ahhh!” her words turned to a gasp of surprise as his hands drift down from her shoulders, running down her chest teasingly. 

This time it was his turn to smirk. “guilty as charged on that carrots. But only because I can't help it. You're just so…” he ran his fingers through her fur, making sure they brushed against all the places he'd discovered the night before. “... alluring.”

She squirmed in his touch, her lip creasing as she nibbled it, a soft moan slipping from her in response to his touch. After a few moments he stopped, his hands drifting down to her hips in a gentle grip. She looked at him and he looked at her, their eyes meeting. Again Nick felt his heart skip a beat. This was real. It wasn't some dream or fantasy he'd wake up from at any moment. She was really here, in his arms, and they really were… “so… are we… ‘together’ now?” his voice came out softer than he'd expected it to, a small note of worry slipping into it. What if she didn't want the sa-

But his worries vanished as she leaned in, their lips pressing together again. The kiss was quick but effective. As she pulled away Judy nodded. “yeah. We're ‘together.’”

There was no stopping his tail from wagging happily in response.

 

\-------

 

They made it to roll call, barely. Leaning back in his chair Nick eat his donut, savoring the rich complex flavors of carmel and cherries as he did so.  _ Soooo good.  _ Next to him sat Judy his….lover. that thought made him pause, his chewing stopping for a moment. They were not partners anymore. Well not JUST, partners. They were…. Together, a couple, lovers. He felt his stomach do a small flip at that thought. He glanced sideways at her, only to feel his eyes widen as he found she was looking at him too. A second later their broke the look, both of them refocusing on the chief who was rattling off the days assignments. Nervously Nick resumed eating his donut, hoping no one had noticed their look. It was a pretty needless hope, they were in the back row after all. Yet somehow…

Swallowing his mouthful of donut Nick again found his eyes darting to the side to look at his… girlfriend. Again his stomach did a flip. It felt so… right to say, well think that. It made him happy, made him want to wag his tail and grin stupidly until he started to creep people out. She was his girlfriend. Judy was his girlfriend. In the back of his mind he could almost hear Finnick singing ‘Nick and Judy sitting in a tree’. And as childish and lame as it sounded, he couldn't help but smile at the thought. 

“alright dismissed.”

Blinking at the sound of the chief's voice Nick snapped back to reality.  _ Right, still have a job to do fox. Can't spend all day thinking about your girlfriend. Gotta go do your job… with your girlfriend. _ It took a great deal of effort to keep his tail from wagging as he and Judy went back to their desks. Luckily once he sat down he could distract himself, pulling open and email from clawhauser marked ‘case related’. Quickly scanning through the email Nick frowned. Across from him from her desk Judy raised an eyebrow. “whats up?”

Leaning back in his seat Nick nodded towards the open email. “Hellena Maxwell has extended her stay at the resort. Clawhauser says she'll be there for another two weeks.”

Across from his Judy blinked. “two weeks? Didn't clawhauser tell her were police?”

Nick sighed. He was sure clawhauser had told her that. But true to most rich people, mrs. Maxwell clearly thought that the world moved at her convenience and no one else's. That made him grind his teeth.  _ Damn rich people. Fine, you don't wanna come go us? _

He pushed himself away from his desk, getting to his feet and heading towards the chief's office. Knocking on the door he waited till he got a response of “what?” before entering. As usual Bogo was behind his desk. Looking down at a mountain of paperwork that needed to be done. But looked up as Nick moved into the room. “wilde? What is it?”

Nick bit his lip, mentally working through the best way to go about this. “morning chief.” instantly the chiefs eyes narrowed slightly.  _ Play it cool Nick.  _ “listen, Judy and I have a person we want to interview for that cold case you gave us. Name is Hellena Maxwell, she was Jack Magnus's ex girlfriend at the time of the murder.” 

Bogo cocked his head. “so go interview her, why are you bothering me with this?” a second later he looked away from Nick and back down to the paperwork on his desk. 

Doing his best to seem casual Nick continued. “well, you see mrs. Maxwell is on vacation at a resort… outside the city. I Onsen-grange..” THAT made Bogo look up again. But when he said nothing Nick continued. “she knows we want to speak to her. But we just found out she's extended her stay. By another two weeks.” 

Bogo held up a hand. “let me guess. You'd like to go and question her?” Nick nodded. Bogo's expression didn't change. “even though Onsen-grange is a six hour drive from here.” again Nick nodded. Maybe this would be easier than he- “No.”

_ So much for being easy.  _ “oh come on chief. Why not?”

Bogo rolled his eyes. “Three reasons wilde.” he held up three fingers. “one, you'd have to take one of my cruisers to get there. And I can't afford to have one tied up for two or three days.” he put down a finger. “two, Onsen-grange is a tourist town, which means the hotel prices are outrageous. And the department doesn't have THAT much extra funds to throw at a single case.” he put down another finger. “and lastly, there is the little matter of JURISDICTION.” he said the last word a bit more forcefully. “as in, the ZPD has none in Onsen-grange. We're not the marshal service. Our power is in Zootopia, and ends at its limits.”

Nick nodded slowly, resisting the urge to smile. Sometimes Bogo could make manipulation a little to easy. “ok, I hear you. Counter offer. J-” he stumbled a bit there, somehow feeling like if he used her first name to much Bogo would magically figure out their relationship. “officer hopps and I can take the train to bunny borough. Which is faster than drive, and then rent a car from there. We can find the cheapest hotel to stay at and I can pay for it, probably.” mentally he wondered if that was true or not. “and lastly. We just wanna talk to her. not arrest her. So it's not like jurisdiction really comes into play.” when Bogo remained silent Nick took a chance. “besides, she knew we wanted to talk to her. But she STILL chose to extend her stay. She doesn't seem to have a lot of respect for the ZPD. So I think maybe we should remind her that you can't just ignore us.”  _ now we wait. _

He fell silent, watching as Bogo processed what he'd said. After a few moments the chief spoke. “I know what you're doing wilde. You should know better than to try and hustle the chief of police.” Nick bit his lip. Maybe that last comment had been a bit much. He was just starting to come up with an explanation when Bogo started to speak again. “ok, you want to go and interview mrs. Maxwell? Then here is how that will work. You WILL take a train to bunny borough, or however close you can get. LEGALLY,” he stressed that word. “I can't make you pay for everything on your own. But I CAN set a budget, and tell you that if you go over it, then you'll eat the cost. So anything over….” Bogo fell silent for a moment. “...$300. Or if it doesn't have a receipt then it comes out of your pocket. And finally…” Nick swallowed as the chief fixed him with a glare that promised pain if any of the rules were broken. “if I find out that you or hopps get so much as a traffic ticket while on this, you will both work parking duty for the rest. Of. The. Year. Understand?”

Nick nodded. “you got it chief.” He turned to leave, a slight smirk on his face at having still technically hustled the ch-

“and wilde, don't ever try to hustle me again. Or i'll invent a job more boring than parking duty and you'll do THAT for the rest of your career.”

He chose not to respond, instead quickly leaving the chief's office and heading back to his and Judy's desk’s. “hey carrots, when was the last time you saw your folks?”

She looked up at him, a slight look of confusion covering her face. “huh?”

Nick shrugged. “you folks back in bunny borough. When was the last time you saw them?”

She continued to look slightly confused before responding. “umm, nine months to a year or so. Why?”

Nick smiled. “cause the chief just gave us a budget of $300 to get to Onsen-grange to interview Hellena Maxwell. And I know that tickets to bunny borough through the train is only $35 or so a person. So what do you say? Wanna swing by and say hello to them as we pass through?”

Judy's eyes widened a bit. But she still smiled at his question. “that would be amazing Nick. How did you get the chief to agree to that?”

Again Nick grinned, much wider than before. “it's called a hustle sweetheart.” a moment later his heart fluttered as she grinned back. 

 

\---------

 

The drive back to Judy's apartment felt almost, normal. Judy had spoken aloud, mostly to herself; making a list of the things she'd need to pack. He'd listened a bit, occasionally chiming in, mostly to see if he could trick her; not that he was able to. It felt good, it felt natural. And yet, in the back of his mind something kept rolling around. A thought he couldn't quite shake. A moment from the night before.  _ Our apartment. OUR apartment.  _ He knew that as a couple they would live together. That was part of the whole ‘couple’ package. But… did she really want him to move in with her? Had she been thinking about it too? It wasn't that he was against the idea. Quite the opposite in fact, he loved it. Except-

As they came to a stop in front of the building Nick bit his lip. He knew himself, knew that if he didn't say something now it would taint the rest of the day. Looking sideways at her, Nick spoke. “hey. Um...ca-can I ask you something…. about….. last night?”

She looked at him. “y-yeah. Whats is it?”

He took a deep breath, willing himself to say the words. “yesterday, last night; you said… Our apartment… I… um… I just… did you…” his voice trailed off, his mind unable to finish the sentence. 

Next to him Judy blinked. “oh… I…” nervously she squirmed in her seat. Last night, it had felt… right. It had felt right to call it THEIR apartment. That was what was supposed to happen. Right? They were together. And people who were together, lived together. Right? She bit her lip, looking at Nick. Had she made a mistake? Was he not ready for that yet? God the silence in the car was explosive, like a complete roar of noise that seemed to press in around them with its utter lack of anything. “Nick… I…” she forced herself to breath. She'd been scared before, and it had cost her months of her life. Months of pain and sorrow and heartache. And as it had turned out his had been all for nothing, because he'd felt the same way. She took a deep breath. “I would… like it… if it could… be… ours.”

Next to her. She watched as Nick remained silent for a moment before speaking. “are… are you sure?”

Something clicked for her then. As he looked at her, his expression uncertain and confused, something clicked. It wasn't that Nick didn't want to love with her. It was…

She slowly stood up, stepping over the center console and towards him.

“c-carrots wh-what are you d-”

She cut him off. Their lips pressing together in what was quickly becoming a regular occurrence for them. It was a soft kiss, tender and loving. As they separated she spoke. Her voice no longer uncertain but strong. “Nick, will you move in with me?”

She felt it move through him. A kind of wave of emotion that made his fur twitch and ripple slightly. She could see tears starting to for in his eyes. A moment later he tried to blink them away, instead making them trickle down the sides of his face. 

“y-yes. Yes I will.”

He was hugging her now. An impossible feeling coursing through his body as he did so. It was odd. He'd known everything that had happened was real. She really was with him. They really were together. They really had kissed… a lot. But somehow, this; being asked to move in. It made things seem… real. Like it wasn't some temporary thing that they might grow tired of in a few months. Like this, like they might last… forever. He grinned at her, a goofy stupid drunk smile that made her smile back. “then let's go up to OUR apartment and get me packed. Then we can go get your things and go.”

“not yet.”

He watched as she cocked her head. “not yet?”

He shook his head. “there something I wanna do first.”

Again she looked confused at him. “wh-”

He pulled her against him, holding her close so he could whisper into her ear. “I love you.”

He felt her inhale as she shifted, returning the hug. “I love you too.”

 

\------

 

Nick's apartment had always been a bit of a bachelor pad. It wasn't that he was messy or anything. It was just that he never had had much in the way of nice things before. Most of the furniture had been street finds or random stuff found in thrift stores. His clothes for the most part were also thrift  store finds, except for a nice suit and his work uniforms. Even the dishes he ate on were older and slightly mismatched. He wasn't ashamed of any of that, he'd learned long ago that saving money by not buy expensive crap was better than having the expensive crap. But it did made things a little embarrassing from time to time when he had people over. This was one of those times as he nervously peaked past the door before stepping into the apartment. Luckily for him thr place seemed to be deserted. Finnick was probably… doing whatever it was he did now during the day? He'd heard the small desert fox talking about some kind of job he'd recently gotten. But to save his life he couldn't think what it was now.

He pushed those thoughts away. Packing, he needed to pack so he and Judy could go. Quickly he moved through the living room, past the kitchen and down the hallway that led to his room. Pushing open the door he mentally thanks his stars that he'd cleaned up a bit and made his bed the day before last. Normally his room was, well not mess but controlled chaos. He moved as quickly as he could. Grabbing a large duffle bag from under his bed before pulling open the drawers of his dresser and grabbing the clothes he'd need. A few spare uniforms, a few normal shirts and shorts, socks, underwear; pajamas? That made him pause for a moment. Did he need pajamas? They'd slept together nude that night, would that be how they'd always…

“hehehe.”

The sound of her giggles made him blink, looking to her to see what was so funny. She'd moved over and was looking at something in one of the drawers. When she saw he was looking she reached in and-

Nick felt his face heat up as she produced his set silk zebra print briefs. “hehehe, very cute.”

He snatched as them. Feeling his face burn hotter. “th-they were a g-gift.”

She raised an eyebrow. “suuuure.”

He narrowed his eyes a bit. “they were.”

She smiled and put her hands up. “I believe you.” her smiled changed, sending a small shiver up his spine as it became more seductive. “bring them along.”

His tail stood up straight, its fur stiffening. “what?”

She smiled again. “bring them along. That way it's… fair.”

He raised an eyebrow. “fair?”

She nodded. “yeah, you'll see.”

There was something about the way she said it. It sent another shiver up his spine and a brief thought of, what does she have planned? He put them in the bag, hurrying to gather the rest of his things before moving to leave the apartment. “oh, hang on.” he paused for a moment, hastily scribbling a note to Finnick that he was going out of town for work and that when he got back they needed to talk. For a moment he wondered, would the small fox be okay without him? But a second later he rolled his eyes. Finnick would be fine. Despite his looks he was an adult and had survived for a long time before they'd met. Turning he smiled at Judy who was standing by the door. “ok, lets go.”

In response she nodded and held up her phone. “just got the tickets. Train leave in half an hour.”

As it turned out that was just enough time for them to make it to the station, although it was starting to cut it close. After a hurried dash they boarded the train finding that their seats were in one of the last cars. Which as it turned out was completely empty save for them. Dropping down into the seats Nick sighed softly. Next to him he felt Judy-

His ears stood up as he felt it. The feeling of her hand slipping into his in a soft embrace. He looked down, as if to confirm that yes they were holding hands. He looked at her, a faint uncertain smile covering her face. “I… since no one… is it ok?”

He nodded, his throat having gone a little dry. It was better than ok. Her hand was soft and warm and it made him feel happier than such a simple contact should have. Gently he squeezed her hand. A moment she did the same. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”


	8. Meeting the Family

The countryside flashed past them as they rattled along the track. The city had faded away hours ago, now only the wide open sprawling fields of farms and grasslands met their gaze. Next to him Nick felt Judy shift a little, readjusting the spot against his arm where her head was resting. He looked down at her, noting with a smile how she was watching the fields go by. “do you ever miss them?”

She shifted again, looking up at him. “the fields?” He nodded, after a moment of thought she answered. “sometimes, Yeah. I love the city, but it's so…crowded sometimes. Like you could drown in all the people and buildings. But out here… everything is so wide open. You can stand on a hilltop and see for miles.” She shifted again, looking back up at him. “What about you? You ever been this far from the city before?”

He shifted, looking back out the window to watch the fields and hills flash by. “honestly, I've never been out this far before. I’ve actually… 

been out this far before. I’ve actually… never left the city before.” 

she shifted, looking up at him. “Never?” 

He shrugged before looking down at her. “not like I have any friends outside the city. Lived my whole life in Zootopia. So… never really left. The furthest I've ever gone is… the prairie district.”

Judy remained silent. The prairie distract was pretty far from the city center, but still that was within the city limits. Had he really never left the city? After a few moments she spoke. “well, then we should make the most of this.”

He looked down at her, a small smile spreading across his face. “oh? And how would we do that?”

She smiled back at him. “well, I think it would start by your new girlfriend showing him around her hometown. There is this amazing little pastry shop that makes the second best blueberry pie in the county.”

He looked at her? “second best?”

She grinned. “Mom's is THE best.”

Nick smiled, a soft laugh coming from his lips. “weeeell. Your family's blueberries are good.”

She smiled at the comment, shifting a little so she was closer to him. They'd moved a bit since the train had started. Originally they had been side by side, their hands holding each others in a soft embrace. As they'd passed through the nocturnal district though, she'd shifted to the position they'd been in since. Her head rested in the crook of his shoulder, his arm behind her. His hand had drifted down her arm and now was holder hers in a soft embrace. It was a loving embrace, made possible by there being no one else in the car with them. In the back of her mind she wondered, would he have been this affectionate if others were here? If others could see the embrace and guess about their relationship, would be still be this way? But a moment later she felt shame well up inside her. How could she think that of him? How could she think, that the fox she'd spent so much time with would change how he acted just because people could see him?

“hey…” she was startled by his voice, looking up at him she found that he was looking at her. “.. you ok?”

_ Crap.  _ She should have know he'd be watching her. Should have known he'd pick up on her subtle changes in body language and position. She bit her lip, the feelings of guilt still squirming inside her like a snake. But before she could speak Nick shifted, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. “its ok. We don't have to tell them. I know its a bit… soon.”

Her eyes widened. Oh gods, he thought she was thinking about her parents? That thought hadn't even crossed her mind. And he thought she was scared to tell them? Somehow that made her feel even worse. The serpent of guilt hissing and coiling in her stomach. She swallowed painfully, trying to think of a way to explain what she was had been thinking about. But her thoughts were cut off as a small metallic dinging sound echoed through the train car followed by a man’s voice. “pulling into Bunny Borough station. Please depart in a calm and orderly fashion.”

Slowly Nick shifted, his hand letting her’s go as he stretched, his arms extending as far as they would go while his fingers formed a savage looking claw like position for a few moments. After a moment she looked down at Judy who still hadn't moved. “carrots? You ok?”

She looked up at him and for a moment he could see something in her eyes. A look of sadness? But it was there for less than a heartbeat vanishing a second later. A smile spreading across her face. “yeah. Sorry. Just thinking about where to take my amazing boyfriend on his first visit to Bunny Borough.”

He smiled back, doing his best to push that momentary look of sadness away. But still, even as they gathered their luggage and moved to the exits he felt his ears droop just a tad. No matter what Judy said, he knew she cared deeply about her parent’s opinions. And while they had been pleasant enough the few times he'd met them, he had no doubt they would behave VERY differently if they found out about their relationship. That though made his ears droop a little more. They wouldn't be violent he was sure of that, well pretty sure. There would definitely be some strained looks. And no doubt some words when they were alone. And he could image that maybe they wouldn't invite her to some of the annual family events, for fear of him tagging along. This time it was his tail that drooped. He hadn't thought about what being with him would cost her. He'd selfishly confessed and thought only of himself and how happy being with her had made him. But at what cost would his happiness be to her?

He bit his lip, watching and following her as they stepped out onto the train platform. The station was moderately busy with dozens of other people, mostly bunnies; bustling about to and from the trains. As he followed Judy through the crowds he could feel the eyes of more than a few rabbits on him. Somehow those looks seemed to press in on him, making him self conscious of everything he was doing and how it could make things look between him and Judy. As if somehow walking to close behind her or moving to fast to keep up with her would tip everyone off about their relationship. He knew it was stupid and irrational and completely pointless. And yet…

The car rental place was polite enough. Even if the mouse behind the counter did give him a slightly longer look than he did Judy as they walked through the door. At any rate several minutes and a few forms later, they were handed the keys to their rental. Leaving the office they made their way along the sidewalk, quickly finding their vehicle in the line of cars waiting to be picked up. The rental company mostly had smaller cars for the locals to use. But they'd been lucky and managed to rent a slightly larger car so as to accommodate his larger size. Tossing their bags in the back seat Nick turned to find Judy smiling at him. “what?”

A moment later she produced her phone, a quick flash momentarily blinding him as she took a photo. “w-wha?” he blinked furiously. Small white spots having popped up in front of his eyes. 

From where she stood Judy chuckled. “sorry. But that always happens at least once in every trip. So I figured we could get it out of the way now. And…” she turned the phone around so he could see the photo. His lips curled in a smile as he found the photo had caught him with his eyes wide and his face in a confused expression. “... we need plenty of photos from Nick’s first trip out of the city.”

He rolled his eyes at that. “ok, ok. But can you turn the flash off? Otherwise I won't have any corneas by the end of the trip.”

She chuckled but moved, turning the phone back around before presumably adjusting the camera settings. After a moment she put the phone back in her pocket. “come on, i'll drive.”

He nodded, handing her the keys before moving around the car and climbing in. As he took his seat he let out a slightly dramatic groan. This car was certainly nicer than their cruiser. The seats were some soft warm material and fit his body better than the large bulky ones the ZPD used. “think we could get the chief to spring for some of these?”

Judy laughed. “not in a million years.”

He grinned, unable to resist. “so we just have to last a million and one.”

The town of Bunny Borough wasn't far from the station. Within five minutes in fact they could see the town slowly approaching them from the distance. Looking away from the slowly growing settlement Nick spoke. “so where are you taking me on this, my first ever trip outside of Zootopia?”

Judy looked to him. “well definitely to the bakery I mentioned. And then I figured id show you the town square. Maybe look at some of the shops nearby and then maybe swing by home if there's time. Is… does that sound ok?”

He remained silent, mentally doing travel math. The train ride here had been an hour long, but had shaved two hours off the trip since they could go in a much straighter line. That left another four hours of driving to do. It was already a little past noon. So…

“That sounds great. So long as we're back on the road by 3pm.” 

She nodded. “of course. We'll probably be done before then.”

The town was almost like something out of a film or an old postcard. The streets were single lane but with hardly anyone on them. Single story brick shops lined the street. Trees lines the sidewalks and occasionally they'd pass a rabbit or squirrel or gopher walking along the sidewalks. The whole town felt so small, so cozy. A huge difference from the city which felt like it could swallow you up at any second. As they drove Nick found himself rolling down the window. in the city doing so would have resulted in a near explosion of noise and cacophony. But here, only the sound of the radio, the hum of the car engine, and the slight whistle of the wind met his ears. Even the air was different, feeling fresher than in the city. 

Then a new sensation hit him. The warm buttery fresh smell of pastries. Almost instantly his stomach growled. Oh gosh they smelled so good. And in the clean fresh air of the town they somehow smelled better than anything he could find in the city. He watched as the car turned, pulling off the road and into a parking space in front of a shop. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the front of the shop. Pastries lined the windows; cakes, breads, donuts, even small little cookie like things.getting out of the car Nick inhaled, his lungs filling with the intoxicating smell of baking. Next to him Judy spoke. “you ok there Nick.”

He looked at her. “yeah. Why?”

She giggled slightly, pulling out her phone in a flash before taking another photo. “because your tail hasn't stopped wagging since you got out of the car.”

He blinked. His tail? A second later he felt it. The slow but steady side to side movement his tail was making. He felt his face tingle a bit, his ears flicking to the sides in embarrassment. “s-sorry.”

Judy shook her head, a smile still covering her face. “no no. It's cute. I just don't think ive seen you do it before.” Again he felt his face tingle with embarrassment, this time in response to being called cute. Next to him Judy giggled again. “come on. Let's go in and get that pie.” as if to agree with her Nick's stomach let out another growl.

The inside of the shop smelled even better. The smells of fresh baked goods wafting through the air like a thick sea of perfume and goodness. Now that he was inside the shop he could smell other things too. Faint scents of chocolate, Carmel, frosting, toasted nuts of some kind; mingling with the other stronger scents of the breads and cakes. It was heavenly, so much so that he almost felt lightheaded as he followed Judy to the front counter where a squirrel greeted them. “welcome to bakers by the dozen. What can I get you today?”

_ One of everything with a side of one of everything. _

Next to him Judy spoke in response to the squirrel's question. “my friend would like a slice of blueberry pie. And i'll have a slice of carrot cake.” that pulled at his attention, momentarily making his chuckle. At the sound of his chuckling Judy rolled her eyes. “yeah yeah. A bunny eating carrot cake. Yuck it up Wilde.” 

He grinned at her. “oh I will.”

A few moments later the squirrel returned, two small boxes stacked on top of each other in her hands. “that will be $5.75.” he paid for the food, handing the squirrel his card before Judy got the chance to do so. 

He shrugged at her as the squirrel ran his card. “is only fair. You drove. You can buy the next thing.”

She smiled at him, nodding in approval before moving to take the boxes from the counter. They left the store, but rather than return to the car Nick followed Judy; who beckoned him to follow her down the sidewalk and around a corner emerging into a small public patio area where a few picnic tables had been set up under a large thick oaktree. The fresh scent of pie almost made him start drooling when he opened the box. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smelled something this good. Not since he was a kid, at least. He grabbed the little plastic fork for its wrapper, spearing himself a piece of pie before bringing it to his mouth and…

His mind went blank. Everything seemed to fall away, everything except the flavors bursting in his mouth. The crust of the pie was warm and buttery, with the perfect amount of crunch yet somehow still managing to be soft. The filling was rich and cool, with several whole berries sitting suspended in the jam. The jam itself was smooth and rich, the flavor of blueberries being slightly different, a tad lighter than the whole berries which burst and exploded with flavor as he chewed them. “W-w-wow.”

Across from him Judy chuckled. “told you it's good.”

Good? Good didn't even come close to this. He'd had ‘good’ pie before, and it was nothing like this. This was AMAZING pie. Quickly to took another bite, again experiencing the same rush of flavors that he had the first time. Across from him Judy giggled again before starting to eat her piece of cake. “I used to come here a lot.” he looked at her, watching as she gestured to the public space there were in. “after school my brothers and sisters would walk home and we'd come this way so we could smell the bakery. And once a week we'd all pool our allowance money and get this HUGE piece of carrot cake that we'd all share.” he watched as she smiled at the memory. “and when I got older i'd come here if I ever wanted to be alone.”

 

He looked around. The space was certainly better than where he'd gone when he'd been a cub and wanted to be alone. He'd only had an empty lot a few blocks from the apartment he and his mom had lived in. “and you,” he swallowed the bit of pie in his mouth. “you really prefer the city over this?” 

 

Judy shrugged. “sorta. I mean, it's not bad here. But… it's so small. You can't go 10 feet without seeing someone you know. And of course everyone wants to talk. So soon everyone knows even the slightest detail of what's going on with everyone else. Like, my sister Delilah for example. One night she stayed out late with this boy named Steben. And the next day it seemed like half the town knew about it. Its just… its very hard to have a private life here. But in the city, i'm just one a million other people. No one cares about what I did last night. Or who I was with. I guess… I like that anonymity.”

Nick nodded, taking another bite of pie. He supposed he could understand what Judy was saying. He'd dealt with the exact opposite. So many people ignored him that he'd stopped trying to reach out after a while. “I guess. Just seems like this place has a few things going for it that the city doesn't.”

Just nodded in agreement. “oh for sure. It's not a bad place, it's just… not the city.” 

Nick remained silent, taking another bite of pie. He'd just finished swallowing that bite and had been about to open his mouth when a voice met their ears. “Judy?”

They both turned towards the voice, the forms of Mr. Hopps coming into view from across the street. In response Judy lifted a hand and waved, calling out to her father a moment later. “hey dad.”

They watched as Mr. Hopps moved. Looking both ways before dashing across the street and walking towards them. “Judy? Nick?” as he came to a stop Judy moved, getting to her feet so she could give him a small hug. “What are you doing here?”

Smiling at Mr. Hopps Nick couldn't help but notice that Judy's father always seemed to look the exact same every time he saw him. Same blue overalls, same green shirt, same hat. Maybe he had a closet full of the same clothes? In response to her dad's question Judy spoke. “we're just here for a few hours. We're on our way to Onsen-Grange.”

Mr Hopps looked at her. “Onsen-Grange? Why are you going there?”

Sitting back down Judy shrugged. “it's a work thing. We need to talk to a lady staying there. Can't really say more than that. Is mom home? We were gonna stop by in a bit.”

Mr Hopps nodded. “yeah. She's home. Im sure she'd love to see you.” for a moment Nick felt mr Hopps's gaze shift to focus on him. It was stupid. Stupid and irrational and completely impossible, but for a moment Nick was sure that a flashing neon sign had appeared above him. A arrow pointing to him with the words ‘I slept with your daughter and did things to her’ in large bright letters. If such a thing had happened Mr Hopps didn't appear to react. His face giving Nick a pleasant smile. “Hello Nick. How are you?” 

He swallowed nervously before responding. “g-good. Just working and trying to make a living, you know me.”  _ what the fuck was that!? You've never said that in your life.  _

Mr Hopps nodded. “that's about all we can do nowadays.” mr Hopps turned back to Judy. “I can't wait to see you and catch up at home. Don't take to long. Ok?”

Judy nodded. “we won't. I'm gonna show Nick the town square and then we'll come over.” 

Mr Hopps smiled again before nodding. “good. See you both then.”

As they watched him leave Nick spoke. “So… what's so special about this town square?” that wasn't what he'd wanted t ask. Not even close. Yet somehow asking her of she thought her parents would flip out of they found out about him and her didn't seem the most appropriate thing to ask her 10 seconds after randomly running into her father. 

Judy smiled. In the middle of town there is this patch of grass, like a mini park. And there is this big fountain. Everyone in the county has seen it. It's kind of a special place.”

He smiled at her. “it sounds nice.”

She looked at him and nodded. “it is. And no trip to Bunny Borough is complete without tossing a coin into the fountain and making a wish.”

At this he raised an eyebrow. “don't think that will work with me.”

She looked at him, slightly confused. “huh? Why not?”

He grinned back at her, a warm seductive grin that made her bite her lip a little. “cause what else do I have to wish for? I have you, and now this amazing pie. My life is perfect.”

She giggled at his words, her face still.managing to tingle slightly from.his compliment. Vaguely she wondered. Had he ever done anything like that; tossed a coin and made a wish to be with her? He didn't ask of course, it was a silly thing to wonder. And a part of her liked it. The idea of him trying to tilt fate im his favor like that. 

Soon the cake and pie were gone leaving the both pleasantly full but not stuffed. Although Nick did manage to let out a loud burp that echoed around the street, making her giggle again. He looked to her, smiling at her laugh. He liked it when she laughed. It could be infectious, making him smile in response. “think your mom will have any pie?”

Judy raised an eyebrow. “how can you want more pie?”

He stuck his tongue out at her. “is your fault. You gave me the second best pie in the county. Now I wanna have THE best.”

She smiled at him but rolled her eyes. “come on. Let's go find out.” Tossing their boxes in a nearby trashcan Nick fell in line next to Judy as they headed back to the car. 

As Judy started the engine Nick looked sideways at her. “so…. Um… can I ask….” she looked sideways at him. He bit his lip as he continued. “... your mom and dad know i'm your partner. And that i'm not some evil conniving fox. But… what about the rest of your family? Is there… anyone I should avoid?”

Next to him he watched as Judy shifted a bit. “most everyone should be ok with it. With gideon grey being a respectable citizen now. And My family sees foxes pretty much all the time nowadays. So… most of them should be fine with you.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “most?”

Judy nodded sheepishly. “some of my grandparents… might not be so understanding.”

Nick rolled his eyes and chuckled. “old people being slow to change. Biiiiiig shock.”

That earned him a small laugh and smile from her. “you'll be fine. I figure we'll only be there for 30 minutes, maybe 45 if we get talking. I know we have a schedule to keep.”

He smiled at her, falling silent as they drove through the town for several minutes before turning off the street there were on and emerging into what Nick could instantly tell was the town square. Just as she had described it, the center of the town square was a large patch of emerald green grass. In the center of the patch was the large stone statue she had told him about, its crystal clear waters arcing in elegant curves as it fell back down into the basin. In the center of the fountain, what appeared to be a bronze statue of a large tree. At this Nick raised an eyebrow. “a tree?”

Judy nodded, pulling them over so they could park and get out. “it's called the Old Sycamore move. Supposedly when the first settlers came to this area, they made a home there. The first home for the first family.”

Nick nodded. “seems as good a thing as any to make a statue of.” following Judy out of the car and across the grass Nick smiled as he watched Judy dig into her pocket before producing two coins. 

“close your eyes, make your wish and toss in the coin.”

He rolled his eyes but took the coin, looking it over in his fingers for a moment. What could he wish for? Of course the usual wishes came to mind. One million dollars, to have good health. He glanced at Judy who seemed to be considering her own wish too. Sure one million dollars would have been great. And sure, he would love it if he had a bill of perfect health. But honestly, he had everything he wanted. He'd confessed and rather than think him a freak of a creep, shed accepted even RETURNED his feelings. What else could he wish for? After a moment he closed his eyes.

_ I wish I can do anything and everything to make this relationship work. _

A moment later he tossed the coin, listening for the draft splash that followed after a few seconds. Opening his eyes Nick watched as Judy did the same, her coin vanishing under the surface of the fountain. “So…” he grinned at her. “what did you wish for?”

She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly. “Oh no. You shall not drag that secret out of me Nick Wilde. No matter what masterful hustle you may be cooking up, I shall take the secret of my wish to my grave.”

He chuckled at that, holding up his hands dramatically. “Such accusations, oh Mrs Hopps you wound me. One would almost assume you think me a sly fox.” They both laughed at that. 

They spent a few more minutes in the square, with Judy pointing out the town hall, and a few of the shops she'd frequented as a kid. The town seemed nice; cozy, homey and quiet. Just about everything the city wasn't. And again Nick found himself wondering what exactly Judy preferred in the city. Yes she had said everyone was nosy and into everyone else’s business, but as they got back into the car Nick couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it than that. People at the precinct were nosey. Hell her old neighbors had been nosey, but she didn't seem to mind them… much. So what was it about the people of Bunny Borough that Judy had found so impossible to deal with that she’d moved to the big city just to get away from it all?

The drive to the Hopp’s family home was quick, way quicker than he’d expected it to be. Soon enough they were pulling into the long dirt driveway, following the fields of carrots and other crops her family grew. Occasionally they’d spot someone in the field, the person always looking up as they drove past; a few of them waving and rushing towards the house. From her seat Judy smiled. “You’re gonna be in for a big welcome when we get out.”

He looked at her, a little bit of nervousness creeping into his voice. “W-what does that mean?”

She smiled sideways at him. “Hmmmm. Nope, you’ll just have to wait and see.”

He swallowed nervously, looking at the crowd of people who had begun to gather in front of Judy’s home as they came to a stop. He’d never actually seen her home before. She’d described it once or twice to him, but hearing about something and seeing it were two very different things. When he’d pictured her home mentally, he’d always imagined a kind of cross between a country farmhouse and some kind of twisting underground maze of tunnels and rooms. In some ways he was sure he was right. There was no way the now crowd of 30 rabbits all lived in the small little mound of earth behind them. Frowning at the crowd he narrowed his eyes, struggling to make out ny details of the home behind them. He could see the hill was covered in soft green grasses. And when some of the bunnies moved to wave he caught sight of a door that seemed to lead right into the mound. But anything beyond that he couldn't make out yet; the crowd being to dense for him to see through. 

Nervously he looked to Judy who smiled back at him. “Come on wilde, you’ll be fine. It's just like the time you dragged me to that naturalist club.”

He blinked at her. “Is your family gonna get naked too?”

They both laughed at that. “Come on, they’ll love you. Maybe not as much as I do, but they will.”

He smiled sideways at her. “That’s good. I don't think I could handle having to keep multiple bunnies satisfied.”

Again they both laughed. He was sure she was right; at least he hoped she was. She wouldn't have brought him here after all if she had thought they wouldn't like him. And with that thought in mind he followed her lead, opening his car door and stepping out. From the other side of the car he heard Judy speak. “Hey everyone. This is Nick Wilde.”


	9. ONsen-Grange

“areyouarealfox?whatditlikeinthecity?doyouandJudyreallyworktogether?whatsitlikebeingapoliceofficer?haveyoueverarrestedsomeone?haveyouevershotsomeone?whatsitliketodeiveapolicecar?doyougettorunthesirensandlights?”

It was like trying to swim through a sea of bodies. He yelped as the mass of young rabbits collided with him, knocking him off his feet and to the ground as small bodies crawled all over him. He yelped again as he felt several touch his tail and ears. Not in a painful way, but in an exploratory ‘what's this like’ kind of way.

“C-Carrots! O-o-officer down!”

he could hear the adults laughing at him. It was mostly for show. The young bunnies weren't actually heavy enough to hurt him. And they weren't pulling on his tail and easy hard enough to cause pain. Grinning to himself he played along with the game. “ARG! This mass of rabbit shall not defeat me, a fox!” the rabbits all giggled at his words. playfully he grunted, Pushing himself up off the ground before dramatically staggering to his feet. “GRAAAA! I'VE RISEN! AND I HUNGER FOR BUNNY CHILDREN!”

The kids squealed and yelped in delight, instantly letting him go to run away, playfully screaming as they did so. He looked to Judy and her family who were watching. Some of them were laughing and Judy had a big grin on her face. He pointed to her dramatically, “Yuck it up Officer Hopps. I'll get you back for that, making me the center of a bunny pile.”

She smirked and shrugged. “you handled it well enough.” 

He moved forward, smiling to Judy’s mom as he approached. In response trudy smiled back. “hello Nick. How are you?”

He shrugged. “i'm good. Planning how to get back at your daughter.”

Trudy chuckled. “well in the meantime let me introduce you.” she gestured to the older bunnies that were still around. “this is agatha.” she pointed to an elderly grey rabbit. “granny smith.” she pointed to a rabbit in a bright green apron with her ears laid back with a small tie. “sweetiebell.” a the youngest bunny in the group, flecked with grey and black fur waved. “tommy.” a black rabbit nodded but didn't say anything.

“and Jasper.” a slightly large male bunny nodded and smiled.

He smiled to each of Judy's relatives as they were introduced, giving each a small, “hello.”

He got a polite response back. Trudy looked to her daughter. “your father says you're just in town for a little while? Where are you going?”

Judy nodded. “we're just stopping for a bit before we continue on to Onsen-Grange.”

Trudy looked for her to Nick. “Onsen-Grange? Why are you going there?”

Maybe it was Nick's imagination, but the look trudy gave them seemed to have a deeper meaning behind it. As if she was wondering if they were going together in a way beyond partners. In response to her question Judy shrugged. “it's a work thing. We gotta talk to someone there.”

Trudy's expression seemed to change, lightening a bit. “oh. Ok. Well come inside we can talk for a little bit.”

Following behind Judy, Nick finally found he was able to see Judy's home clearly. It was cute, not what he'd expected but somehow very suiting for a rabbit. The home itself was a large mount of dirt with grass growing along its sides and roof. A small pipe stuck up from the top of the mound, which Nick could only assume was a chimney for eating or cooking. A large round door led into the mount and to the right a circular window allowed some light into the front room. Ducking slightly as he walked through the door Nick blinked as he found them standing in a kind of front room, with several chairs and couches had been set up. On the far side of the room he could see a hallways had been dug and packed into the earth, no doubt leading to the deeper parts of the house. 

“have a seat. Would you like anything? Tea? Water? Coffee?”

Nick grinned, catching Judy's eye as he sat down on one of the couches. “Judy says you make THE best blueberry pie in the county. Don't suppose you have any of that?”

He smiled as Judy rolled her eyes dramatically while her mother smiled at him. “I think I can come up with a slice. Hang on.”

He watched as she vanished into the hallway, leaving him alone with Judy and the few other rabbits who had followed them into the home. 

“so, Judy…” he turned to look at the black and white speckled female who had been introduced as Tammy. “how's life in the big city?”

He leaned back into the couch, making himself comfortable as Judy spoke about the city. Her apartment, a bit about her job, about some of the shop and places she likes to go. He piped up a bit, agreeing with her when she brought up the Bagel shop she and he had gone to a few weeks ago and said they were amazing. After a moment the grey rabbit Tommy looked at him. “and you work with Judy? You're also a cop too?”

He nodded, noting the slight hint of disbelief and perhaps….disapproval in his voice. “Yeah. She wrangled me to help her with a case and after that she badgered and bugged me till I applied to the academy.”

Judy looked at him amused. “badgered and bugged? I didn't do that.”

He rolled his eyes. “you SOOO did carrots.” He changed the pitch of his voice, trying to make it sound more like hers. “come on Nick. Do you wanna sell pawsicles for the rest of your life? Just apply. I'll even write you a recommendation if it will help. Come one, make the world a better place.”

He smiled as she narrowed her eyes at him, while her relative chuckled softly. “I don't sound like that.”

He smirked at her. “not now. But you did back then. So bright eyed and innocent.”

She let out a mock ‘hmph’ and folded her arms. “fine. Last time I try to do anything nice for you.”

He could tell she was joking, and a moment later as if to reassure him she stuck her tongue out at him. He grinned, mentally resisting the urge to pull her into a hug a kiss her.  _ No Nick. Now is not the time. She’s not ready to tell them.  _

He fell silent, his ears occasionally flicking as one of Judy's relatives would ask her a question. After a few minutes trudy returned, a plate of pie and a fork in one hand, and a small tray carrying water glasses in the other. As he took the plate from her Judy again rolled her eyes. He grinned again at her. “what? You can't tell me she makes THE best pie in the county and not expect me to try it. Not after you sullied my mouth with only the SECOND best.”

She shook her head, a smile flickering across her face. “sullied? You practically inhaled it.”

He shrugged and cut himself a piece before lifting it to his mouth.  _ Oooooh god. _

Judy was right. This pie was THE BEST pie he'd ever had. The pie from the baker had been amazing. Warm, fresh, flavorful and bursting with perfect texture. THIS pie was all of those things. But mixed into the dough he could taste the faint sweetness of honey. And as he chewed the bite he noted that this pie had almost triple the number of whole blueberries in it. He grinned to Judy's mom  gesturing to the pie. “Sooooooo good.”

He watched as she smiled, waving her hand casually. “oh stop it. It's just ok.”

But he shook his head, helping himself to another bite. “Is the best pie I'VE ever had.”

He watched as Judy's mom squirmed a little, her ears flicking sideways like Judy's did when she was embarrassed. From where he sat, the male rabbit tommy spoke again. His voice again containing that slight undertone to it. “didn't think a fox would like fruit pie.”

He shrugged, choosing not to acknowledge the tone. “don't know about others. But I do. Never had a lot of fruit growing up. So now I think it's delicious. ESPECIALLY blueberries.”

Another one of Judy's relatives, an older bunny he remembered as Agatha cocked her head. “why didn't you have fruit? Its super cheap.”

Again he shrugged, taking another bite of pie, mostly to give him time to think of how to respond. Unlike with Judy he didn't feel the need to reveal his childhood fuckups to these rabbits. “my mom and I… hit a rough patch for several years. Money was tight and fruit isn't cheap in the city. So it wasn't something we had a lot of. So now any chance I get. I'll have some.”

He shrugged again as they all continued to look at him, busying himself with taking another bite.  _ Damn this is good pie. _

“so how long will you two be in Onsen-Grange?”

Nick shrugged, swallowing the bite he'd taken before answering. “just a day or so. We just need to talk to one person.”

A younger bunny with black and grey marking piped up. “great! You can come to the harvest celebration.”

Judy cocked her head looking to her mother. “the harvest celebration? Wasn't that like….. two weeks ago?”

Pausing his eating Nick watched as Judy's mom shook her head. “there was a huge rainstorm all last week. So we had to delay it. So it'll be happening day after tomorrow. Think youll be done by then?”

Looking to Judy Nick scanned her face, looking for any subtle signal as to how to respond? When he got none he nodded. “yeah. We should be.”

Again the smaller grey and black bunny spoke. “great! You can come to the celebration.”

From her spot in one of the chairs trudy spoke. “sweetiebell, Nick and Judy might be too busy to stop by. They haVe a very important job to do.”

Next to him Nick felt Judy shrug. “we… might be able to swing by. Not for all of it, but… maybe one night?” as she spoke she looked to Nick who smiled. 

“sure, i'd love to come. Never been to a harvest celebration. Will there be pie?”

He grinned as Judy stared at him in disbelief. “how ca-”

“so Judy…” agatha the oldest bunny there was speaking again. “... when are you gonna settle down with a nice buck and have a litter?”

He gagged on the bite he was halfway through swallowing, coughing roughly as next to him Judy squirmed uncomfortably. After a moment she mumbled. “grandma, not now.”

But agatha shook her head. “why not? When I was your age I was already married and full with my first litter. You need to have them when your still virile young lady.”

Finally managing to stop his coughing Nick did his best to try and hide the grin that was threatening to spread across his face. Next to him Judy squirmed again, her hands going up to grip her ears before pulling them down over her face. “grandma. We have a quest over. Can we not do this NOW?”

Unable to resist Nick chuckled. “don't stop on my account.” she smirked evilly at her as she shot him a glare that could have stopped a lion mid roar. 

Agatha chuckled and pointed to him “he gets it. I bet foxes are the same way. Got to have lots of kits while they're young. Right?”

Nick shrugged, trying not to show how much he was enjoying this. “It's not uncommon. But its not required.” Again Judy glared at him and again he smirked back. 

Again agatha spoke. “what about you fox? You have a wife? Kits?”

He shook his head. “nope. Never really had any luck with ladies… or guys.” he added that last part in response to some of the uncertain looks Judy's relatives were giving him. “although…” his eyes drifted over Judy, she still had her ears in front of her face, but her face was a bit less red now that she wasn't the center of the conversation. “...I met a girl recently.” he noted that Judy’ ears had flicked in his direct even as she held them. “she's smart, funny, VERY beautiful. Probably could do WAAAY better than a fox like me. But… I think she's happy with me, and I know im happy with her...” Judy had shifted now, looking at him sideways; her ears still shielding her face as far as her family could see. A faint blush had crept along her face. He smiled at her, doing his best to make it seem like he was smiling at the made up girl. “and I know i'd do anything to make her happy. So… I guess that's all that really matters.” He could see her biting her lip, trying to keep her own smiling from showing.  _ Hehehehe _ “then again I bet she'd WOULD look pretty sexy with a tummy full of my kits.”

This time he couldn't hold back the chuckle as Judy’s face went bright red and she returned her ears to her face. Again agatha pointed at him. “see? Even your partner is thinking about babies. So it's time you start to young la-”

“ **HOPPS! WILDE!”**

The bellowing roar cut through the small room, making everyone except Nick jump in surprise. Casually Nick reached into his back pocket and grabbed his phone. Next to him Judy looked at him. “why would you have the chief yelling at us as your ringtone?”

Nick shrugged, opening the message the chief had sent. “cause i'll never wonder who it is that's messaging me. Hmmmm. Chief wants us to check in with the Onsen-Grange sheriff's department before we question hellina. Wants to be sure we have SOME legal authority to be there.”

As he put the phone back in his pocket Judy spoke up, clearly trying to get out of the conversation about babies. “ah so Nick and I should probably be going. Still have a lot of ground to cover to get to Onsen-Grange. It was nice to see all of you.”

But again agatha pointed at her. “mark my words young lady. You'll regret not having litters now while-”

He saw it coming before anyone else did. The faint twitch in Judy's temple, the way she was gripping her ears. The way her eyes flashed dangerously. All of it told him to brace himself. “LION CHRIST GRANDMA I DON'T WANT ANY KIDS!”

the sound of her voice echoed around the room. “I'M TO BUSY WITH A LIFE AND A CAREER. YOU HAVE PLENTY OTHER GRANDKIDS TO MAKE PLENTY MORE BABIES! SO SHUT UP ABOUT IT!”

and before anyone else could respond Judy practically jumped to her feet, grabbed Nick by the scruff of his shirt and began to drag him away.

He struggled to keep up with her, barely managing to leave his plate on the table before he was dragged roughly from the home and back towards the car. After a few moments she let him go. But didn't start as she kept heading towards the car. Sighing to himself Nick followed. he'd seen her in these moods once or twice, arguing with her wouldn't do any good. Better to just follow and wait for her to cool off. Climbing into the car Nick remained silent as he watched Judy turn the key in the ignition before stomping on the gas and backing the car up. The silence lasted all the way down the dirt driveway until just before the paved road. “UGHHHHHHHHH!” He remained silent, watching as Judy pressed her forehead against the steering wheel as she growled in anger. 

They'd done this before, so he knew what he had to do. He just had to let her voice her frustrations for a few more seconds before-

“so your family sees ni-AHH!”

he smiled to himself as he held up his hands in his defense as Judy turned on him and started pummeling him with her fists. “Nick WILDE HOW CAN YOU SAY SUCH EMBARRASSING THINGS?!”

he laughed, letting her continue to pummel him for a few more seconds before grabbing her hands. “oh come on. It wasn't that bad.”

Judy fumed at him, her face red with either embarrassment or anger; he couldn't tell. “not that bad?!”

He grinned at her. “I think it's sweet.”

He let her hands go, smiling as she resumed pummeling him. “sweet?! SWEET?!”

He let her continue for several minutes, only lowering his hands when she sat back down in her seat panting softly. Only then did he speak again. “they just want you to be happy carrots. You can't blame them for that.”

She glared at him. “then why do they have to embarrass me like that? I mean… you're my partner… how can they ask when im gonna have kids with… you… right there?”

Nick shrugged. “cause they knew it would get you to react. Classic motivational situation. With me there you'd panic and try to shut them up. And they'd use that to their advantage. Exactly Like your grandma did.”

He smiled as she stared at him. After a few moment she grumbled. “still… it drives me crazy when bring up kids.” as she spoke she moved, turning to watch the road as she began to drive again. “I never acted like I wanted kids, or like I wanted to settle down. But they keep bugging me about it. It's not like our family is small. So why do I have to have kids too? Why can't they just be happy with the kids my sisters and brothers have given them?”

Nick remained silent, unsure of how to answer her question. At the same time though a question of his own had begun to form. “So… you never want kids? Like ever?”

Judy sighed. “I didn't say that. I just… I don't want to have to sacrifice my career and life goals to have kids. And I don't want 50 kids like my family wants me to have. I'd be perfectly happy with one or two. Just not right now.”

He nodded in understanding. “Fair enough. I can respect that. You worked hard to be a cop. You should take as long as you want with it.”

Silence fell between them, broken only by the tunes playing from the radio as they left bunny borough and slowly emerged into the wide open countryside. Way off in the distance he could see the mountains they were headed to. With Onsen-Grange nestled somewhere in them. After several minutes of silence Judy spoke. Her voice low and slightly unsure. “what about you? Do you want… kids?”

Nick sighed. He'd known that someday this question would come up. Even if they hadn't ended up in their relationship. It was such a normal thing to ask. “honestly…. I don't know. I mean…” he bit his lip trying to explain how he felt on such a complex matter. “I think on one hand i'd like it. Definitely like you said, not right now. But… someday maybe. But I also…” he struggled to find the right words. “I don't know if id make the best father. So… maybe not having kids would be better.”

He could feel her looking at him, no double surprised by his answer. Sure enough after a moment, “why don't you think you'd be a good father?”

He sighed before shrugging. “have I ever told you about MY father?”

She fell silent for a moment and she thought before shaking her head. “no.”

He nodded. “there's a reason for that. Cause I BARELY remember him. I know three things about him for sure. 1, His name is John. 2, he wore suits a lot. 3, the moment I was born he was gone and left me and my mother all alone.”

After several seconds Judy shook her head. “what does that have to do with YOU being a father?”

He sighed again, shifting so he could look out the window at the passing scenery for a minute before responding. “Cause… I think any child I had… would grow up to hate me. Just like how I hate MY father. And… I don't want that. I don't want a child to feel the way I do. So… maybe it's better if I didn't have kids.”

He could feel her looking at him again. “Nick… you don't hate hi-”

“YES I DO.” his voice was cold. A long ignored but all too familiar anger welling up inside him. “I do. I do HATE my father. And you know me, I don't use that word much. But in this case it's the truth. I hate him. I hate him for walking out on us. For leaving my mom to raise me alone. For never caring that he has a SON. For not once thinking about how that son would feel when he realized for the first time that his ‘father’ wanted nothing to do with him or his mom. For making my mom have to work herself to the bone everyday so we could have just enough to scrape by. I HATE HIM and for all intents and purposes, he's dead to me.” he forced himself to take a breath. To shove down that anger he'd felt so often growing up. “and I don't want another child to feel that way because of MY screw ups. So yeah… I don't know if kids is a good idea.”

She was still looking at him. He could feel her eyes on him. After several seconds he sighed again before turning to look at her. “what?”

She remained silent for a moment, continuing to look at him before, “Nick, you wouldn't screw it up..”

He laughed at that, a cold self hating laugh he used frequently when he and finnick had been alone and nearly blind drunk. “yeah, I would carrots. I've lived with myself for a long time. Before I met you there was a reason I hardly put any effort into anything I did. Because the harder I worked at something the worse I'd screw it up. And if its just be who gets burned by my fuckups, then that's fine. But I won't let my mistakes hurt someone else. EVER.”

He shifted to look at her. “can we change the subject now? What’s this harvest celebration thing they were talking about?”

Judy remained silent for several seconds,  continuing to look at him with an expression of sadness and concern. He sighed, His ears flicking downwards. “please Judy. Just let it go. I decided a long time ago that he's not worth thinking about.”

He watched as she sighed before nodding. “ok. S-sorry for prying.”

That made him feel worse. He hadn't meant to upset her. “look… when I was a kid I used to dream of finding him. I used to imagine he was this perfect ideal father who'd swoop in and pull me and my mother out of that shitty apartment. But… that never happened. And I learned that if I wanted something to happen, then wishing for it was a waste of time.”

After a moment she nodded. “I felt the same way as a kid. I wanted to be a police officer. But everyone told me I couldn't do it. So I decided to prove them wrong. So I worked my tail off. I pushed myself as hard as I could. And eventually people stopped saying those things. I… I don't know if they ever supported me… but they stopped trying to talk me out of it.”

He smiled at her. “and look at you now. You're an amazing police officer.”

He smiled again as she smiled sheepishly. “thanks.”

He shrugged. “is only the truth.”

He sighed, leaning back a bit in his seat so he could mindlessly watch the road wind and travel as they drove down it. “so what's this celebration thing?”

Judy shrugged. “every year after the harvest the town throws this big celebration to thank all the farmers and people who helped with the harvest. It's about what you'd expect. There's music, dancing, definitely drinking in some places. the entire town pretty much divides up into different parties, and you can go to any one of them. It's a lot of fun actually. Been awhile since I went to one though. Not since I was 14 to be sure.”

He cocked his head curiously. “why not?”

Again Judy shrugged. “cause it's common for boys to ask girls to dance. And that just never interested me.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “never? No boy ever interested you?” When Judy didn't respond right away Nick grinned. “oooh? So there was ONE. Who was he?”

He watched as she blushed a bit. “promise you won't laugh?”

He shook his head. “not if it's hilarious. But I promise I wont judge.”

Next to him Judy remained silent for a few moments before mumbling. “he was… this neighbor boy.”

Nick grinned. “oooo, the sexy boy next door type. Very nice, very 90s porno. What did you like about him?” He grinned again as Judy squirmed a bit, no doubt embarrassed by her reasonings. “tell you what carrots. You tell me about this boy. And i'll tell you about this girl I had a crush on once. Deal?”

She looked at him for a moment before nodding slowly. “ok. Deal. Um…. He… used to…. Um… “ Nick watched as again Judy embarrassingly squirmed. “he used… to run by our farm during the summer. And… sometimes he wouldn't have on a shirt and… he was… sweatyfromhisworkout.”

She rushed the last part out, no doubt hoping he wouldn't be able to understand what she was saying. He could though, and it made him grin. “oh my carrots. A hunky bunny next door who gets all sweaty and runs by your farm everyday. You should have tackled him and dragged him into the barn for some personal hands on training.”

She glared at him. “can you not make fun of this? It's REALLY embarrassing for me.. and… he… um…. He wasn't…. A rabbit.”

That caught his attention, making him raise an eyebrow to her. “OH? What was he?”

When she didn't respond he grinned. “a squirrel? A mouse? A gopher? Oooo, i've got it. A ferret?”

Again she didn't respond instead seeming to sink a little lower in her chair. “n-no.”

He looked at her. “then what was he?”

Again she squirmed embarrassingly. “um… he… was a…. bobcat.”

If there had been a gun to his head and the threat of death if he smiled, he would have died. The grin that spread across his face almost hurt it was so big. “OH MY, Ms hopps. Dreaming of predators from such a young age? It's almost like you have a fetish for us.” as he spoke he fluttered his eyes at her, making her flush red with embarrassment. 

“SH-SHUT UP! TELL ME ABOUT THE GIRL WHO YOU LIKED!”

But he shook his head. “oh no no no. You can't drop that kind of a bomb and not get some follow up questions. Did you ever tell him you liked him?”

The bright red hue Judy's face turned was precious. “you diiiiiid. Tell me EVERYTHING!”

just shook her head. “th-there's nothing too tell! I… uh… asked him… to… one of the harvest celebration dances… but he said… he already had someone he was going with… and that he wasn't really interested in me”

His ears flattened slightly, he'd hoped for maybe a less blunt way for the story to end. “oh… um… sorry.”

She chuckled. “turns out… while I was busy staring at him, he… uh… well… he was busy staring at my older cousin…”

Nick's ears flattened further. “oh car-”

“...Gregory.”

“…...wait...WHAT?!”

he starred at her stunned as she chuckled and nodded. “yep. Saw them going at it later that night in Gregory’s truck when I was on my way home. Never knew before then that Gregory was into bondage. But I got a pretty big tipl that night. What with him being all tied up and bouncing up and down on my crush's lap like a hare in heat.”

He continued to stare at her in shock, his brain struggling to understand what she had told him. After a moment she stuck her tongue out at him. For a moment his brain remained blank and then… “wait… did you just bullshit me?”

She grinned. “it's called a hustle sweetheart. Deal with it.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “we're gonna be quoting that to each other for awhile huh?”

She nodded. “probably.”

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “so was ANY of that true? Or do I have to make up everything about the girl?”

Judy shifted awkwardly. “um… I… there really was a bobcat I… kinda... liked. And… he did sorta… like my cousin Gregory… more than me. So… yeah.”

Nick looked at her. “really?”

She nodded. He fell silent, watching the road in front of them for a moment before speaking. “So… have you always… liked… predators?”

Judy shook her head. “no. Just… him… and you.”

Nick bit his lip, feeling a small blossom of warmth bloom in his chest in response to her words. He leaned over a moment later, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. In response she blushed further, looking away for a moment before speaking. “come on, a deal's a deal. Tell me about the girl.”

He sighed softly, looking dreamily out the window. “she was a rabbit. A police officer with the ZPD actually. Named Judy Hopps. Smart, funny, quick as cheetah. And VERY sexy. Oh gods is she sexy. Somehow she managed to trick me into falling in love with her I just know it.” he looked back at her, noting her amused expression. “then again, i'm ok with that.”

From her seat Judy chuckled. “smooth. So I  reveal a deeply embarrassing part of my life, and you give me nothing?”

He smirked at her. “it's called a hustle sweetheart. Deal with it.”

A moment later they both laughed.

 

\--------

 

They reached their destination just before sundown, the town of Onsen-Grange looming out of the darkness like a glitter coated dream. The town lights sparkled in the darkening light. Blurred and yet somehow made wider by the perpetual blanket of steam that covered everything as they got nearer and nearer. And suddenly they were in the town, glowing lights and half illuminated buildings slowly drifting passed them as they drove through the town. “so…” Nick's voice was casual. “which of these hotels do you think is the cheapest?” as he spoke Nick looked out the windows, watching as rich and lavish hotels and restaurants drifted by.

Judy shrugged. “Maybe a Milo inn? Or an Emco Lodge? One of those chain hotels?”

Nick nodded, quickly pulling out his phone. “Hmmmm. Take a right up here.”

Doing as he said Judy turned and a short distance later turned again, this time pulling into the half empty parking lot for a slightly dated Milo inn. Getting out of the cat Nick groaned, his back popping as he stretched. On the other side of the car he could hear Judy doing the same. Stepping into the hotel Nick raised an eyebrow as they approached a younger looking ferret who blinked as if he were surprised to see them; the vague smell of pot making Nick's nose twitch slightly. “hello.”

The ferret blinked at them before respond. “hello. Welcome to the… uh… Milo inn. Can I help you?” as he spoke he looked from Nick to Judy. 

Nick nodded. “we need a room. For the next two days. Have any available?”

Again the ferret blinked for a moment. “uh...yeah...hang on.” the Ferret moved, looking down as the sound of computer keys echoed around the empty lobby. After a moment the ferret spoke without looking up. “a basic two bedroom is $150 a nig-”

But Nick cut him off. “how much for a single bed, room”

That made the ferret look up at him, his eyes flicking to Judy for a moment before responding. “its… $130 a night. Bu-”

Nick nodded and pulled out his wallet. “we'll take it.”

The ferret didn't move, continuing to look between him and Judy. After a moment he spoke, his voice uncertain. “sir are y-”

Nick cut him off, leaning over the counter to glare at the ferret. “we have been on the road for several hours. Either give us the room we're asking for, or we might just start to notice that rather… pungent smell you have about you. Deal?” as he spoke Nick gave a dramatically long sniff, his nose twitching at the now unmistakable smell of pot.

The ferret let out a kind of squeak, followed the sound of keys furiously for a moment before, “ro-room 113.” he'd barely dropped the key into Nick's hand before he rushed away. Scurrying into a backroom and quickly closing the door.

Judy chuckled. “he's probably freaking out right now.”

Nick shrugged. “not my monkey, not my problem.” he turned, picking up the bag hee set down before glancing at the room key he'd been given. The ferret must have been more stoned than he thought. The room key said 178 not 113. Rolling his eyes he and Judy moved, making their from the lobby and into a large hallways lined with doors. A small placard helped guide them to the left and soon enough they were standing in front of their room. For a moment. As he pressed the electronic key to the reader Nick wondered if the stoned ferret had actually activated it or not. But he got his answer a moment later as the door clicked open, allowing them inside. 

The room was nice but small. A large king sized bed took up most of the available space. On the other side of the ved Nick could see a chest of drawers and a closet for them to use. Opposite the bed, mounted to the wall was a tv. As they moved into the room they passed a closed door, no doubt leading to the bathroom. Dropping his bags next to the bed Nick allowed himself to fall forward, groaning as he hit the bed a moment later. Comfy wasn't the right word to describe the slightly worn and scratchy sheets. But after hours stuck in a car seat, This was certainly an impro-

“mmmmm”

He groaned again as he felt a warm pleasant weight press down against his back. Above him Judy groaned too as she laid across his back. “do I make a good pillow?”

He nodded into his back. “all warm and smelling of fox. Is perfect.”

He smiled, shifting slowly so she had time to move with him until he was on his back with her against his chest. “the new Nick wilde body pillow. Get it was supplies last.”

She smiled at him and he smiled at her, both of them pressed together. “we should probably get ready for bed.”

Nick nodded and moved to get up. Only to stop as Judy put her hands on his chest. “ah ah ah.”

He look at her, slightly confused at her movement. Judy smiled, shifting so she was straddling his hips hips before leaning forward. “no way i'm passing up this opportunity.” her fingers worked slowly unbuttoning his shirt exposing his floof of chest fur which she ran her hand through with a smile covering her face as she did.

He smiled up at her. “oh, so you wanna be like THAT huh?” this time he moved, his hands going to her hips to pull her forward a bit. A moment later his hands slipped under her shirt, her thumbs hooking under the edge of her shirt, slowly pulling it up as his hand drifted. She groaned softly, a small shiver rippling through her as with a flourish he completely removed her shirt. 

They both had the same thought it seemed, both of them shifting to press their lips against the other's. The kiss was soft but passionate. Enough to make him shiver but not enough to make his body start wanting her. His hands moved, circling her chest before drifting to her back and diving down. She groaned again, louder this time as his hands slipped into her pants, giving her butt a soft squeeze. “n-no fair.”

He grinned up at her. “nothing's stopping you carrots.” as he spoke he squeezed her butt again, making her moan again. His hands moved, again hooking his thumbs over the waist. He shifted, leaning up to whisper into her ear. “unbutton them carrots.” He felt her shudder at his breath against her ear. Ear hands quickly undoing the button of her jeans before.

“mmmmmmmmm.”

she let out a soft groan as he moved, his hands taking their time. Savoring the feeling of her pressing against him as he slowly pushed her pants down and away to reveal….

“mmm, black is a good color for you carrots.” it was true, the slim black panties she had on made her look amazing, as did the little pink bow sewed into the front of them. 

She blushed at his words, shivering in the combination of cool air and excitement. She could feel his breath on her thighs, her hips, and a deep almost carnel surge she remember how his tongue had felt. It had been so good. So impossibly good. Dimly she could feel the heat inside her flickering, wondering, would it be needed. She groaned, looking down at him. She could see his thoughts in his beautiful eyes. He was enjoying this, but not hoping for more. Same as she was. She shifted, running her hands along his chest again. “now you.”

He grinned and looked up at her. “now me… what?”

She grinned back down at him, calling his bluff. She leaned down, whispering into his ear. “Nickolas Wilde, take off your pants. NOW.”

She smirked at him as she felt a shudder roll through him. Slowly they moved, him rolling them so she was against the bed while he climbed off; quickly undoing his pants. She scurried up the bed. Laying back against the pillows as his pants hit the floor. “MMMMM”

He blushed, kicking his pants away before slowly crawling onto the bed like an animal. “the wild savage fox hunts for a place to sleep.”

Judy chuckled, pulling back the covers of the bed and crawling in. “nu uh. This is my spot.”

He grinned. “having been challenged the wild fox asserts his dominance.” He pounced on her, playfully pawing at the blankets before slipping under them and moving against her. “having defeated the challenger the wild fox celebrates, sleeping with his prize in his arms.”

He felt Judy move, laying back against his chest. “the prize is ok with this.”

He grinned. “goodnight carrots.”

He felt her look up at him. “goodnight  fox.”


	10. Hellina Maxwell

Morning dawned bringing with it the dim glowing light that came from sunlight striking steam. Groaning weakly Nick shifted, sinking lower into the blankets to try and hide from the light. “nnn.”

He wasn't ready to get up, not yet. He wanted to stay like this. Just for a few minutes more. To savor the warm blankets, the soft warm bunny body against him and the wonderful scent filling his nose and lungs. He'd learned long ago to savor a good thing when it happened, cause it could be a long time before anything good happened again. And right now, in this exact moment, the bunny in his arms and cuddling against his chest was the greatest good thing that had ever happened to him. Slowly he opened one eye, groaning as he felt the cloud of sleep begin to dissipate. He closed his eye again. Hoping the darkness of his eyelids would help bring back the cloud of sleep. But it was no good. He could feel his brain waking up, his mind becoming more alert even as he lay there.

He sighed softly, opening both eyes this time. He and Judy had shifted slightly in their sleep, and had hunkered down a bit lower in the blankets with the covers winding up just over his head with his ears sticking out from under them. He shifted a bit, looking down to Judy's sleeping form. Her eyes were closed, her ears drapped lazily down his side. In her sleep her nose twitched a little, making Nick smile at the cuteness of the movement. Somehow it still didn't feel real to him. For some long he'd hated himself, felt himself the lowest of low for thinking of the woman who had pulled him out of the gutters, in such a way. He could still remember the first time he'd dream about her. He'd had low times before then, but that morning had been a new level of self loathing for him. Never in his life had he hated himself as much as that. He'd felt nothing but disgust and very nearly raw hatred for himself as he'd stood in that freezing cold shower all morning, willing the memories of his dream to leave him. Hating himself as they teased his mind, the memories of how they’d touch, how they’d kissed, how they’d-

Thank god it had been a weekend; he probably would have leapt from the, cruiser and into oncoming traffic if he'd had to work with her that day. She'd saved his life. Dragged him out of the gutter and into a real life and real job. She respected him. Believed in him. Cared about him. She stood up for him when thers didn't and never talked down to him or belittled his accomplishments. And at that moment a certain part of his anatomy only cared about three things. She was female. He was male. And she was attractive.

He'd always know that last part. He'd thought that the first time he'd met her. Not in like a weird creepy way, but in a way that made him certain she had a boyfriend. But then… slowly he'd started to notice more. Her smile, her eyes, her quick reflexes, and her intelligence; oh god her intelligence was beyond sexy. He'd never liked dumb people. People who he could hold a conversation with. Or could keep up with his rapidly working and always thinking mind; those people he liked. And she was DEFINITELY one of those people. In a way perhaps she was even smarter than him, In books of course. He'd always have street smarts and the times she’d outsmarted him? Fucking hell he’d be so turned on by her at those times.

She groaned softly in her sleep, her face shifting ever so slightly while her nose continued to twitch in her sleep. He bit his lip. One thing he'd learned quickly as a hustler was when to know he'd been beat. And she had certainly beat him. Everything about her was perfect. Even her once annoyingly upbeat attitude had grown on him. She'd done it. She'd bested him, And stranger still, he liked it. Ce liked knowing that she COULD outsmart him if she wanted to. It made being with her exciting. Like a constant game of mental chess, but with this sexy amazingly hot bunny for an opponent. An opponents who gave great kisses and had amazing sex. She let out another groan, her face scrunching up for a moment before-

“nnnnn”

He smiled at her as her eyes opened, unfocused and bleary from sleep. “morning.”

She groaned again, her head nuzzling against his chest. “mmmm. Morning.” he could feel her moving, her arms and legs stretching. He did the same, having held off while she'd slept. As he stretched Nick reached up, pulling the blanket over them down. The rush of sunlight against his eyes was enough to make him wanna yank the blanket back over his head and pretend to be dead. 

From against him Judy grunted. “Gah! What is the sun RIGHT outside the window?”

He chuckled at that. It certainly felt like it. Staggering from the bed he moved towards the window, feeling blindly for the curtain rod which he found after a moment. Closing the blinds he sighed, the sunlight diminishing instantly, making it much easier to see. From the bed Judy yawned. “Th-hanks.”

He nodded, stretching a bit again before running his hand through his hair. “gods I'd kill for some coffee.” 

Judy nodded in agreement. “I think I saw a coffee shop as we drove in. We can swing by there on our way to the sheriffs.”

That sounded good to him. He moved back to the bed. Grabbing the duffle bag he'd packed the day before and heaving it up onto the bed. Unzipping the bag Nick eyed the clothes inside. “what do you think? Full ZPD uniform?”

He watched as Judy remained silent, her forehead creasing in thought for a moment before, “no. Like Bogo said. We don't have any real jurisdiction here. Maybe just the pants and a nice shirt… and our badges?”

He nodded. “good idea.”

As he began to put on his clothes he glanced at Judy, watching as she slowly moved to mimic him in pulling out her clothes for the day. Part of him wanted to start something. To walk over to Judy and tell her that they were gonna spend the whole day in this room and that clothes wouldn't be needed. But he pushed those thoughts away for now. The only reason they'd been allowed to come here was because he'd bugged Bogo about it. So the water buffalo would probably have aneurysm if they spent the whole trip locked against each other instead of doing their job. That being said he did lean over, giving her a gentle bump with his hip. At that she looked at him, a faint smile covering her face. A moment later she bumped him back. It was silly, juvenile and completely lame. But somehow it felt right with her. 

Quickly he got dressed, pulling on his usual uniform pants but following it with a simple blue button up shirt instead of his uniform shirt and Jacket. Pulling his badge from the bag he snapped it to his belt pausing for a moment to admire himself in the mirror. The air was more humid here than in the city. As a result his chest floof was a bit more pronounced than usual, making so he couldn't button the very last button on his shirt without looking strange. Like he'd stuffed something up into his shirt. Looking over to Judy he smiled as he found she too had put on her work pants and badge, but instead of her usually stab vest and shirt she wore a simple green shirt with a blue zip up sweatshirt over that. “looking good carrots.”

She smiled at him, moving over to stand in front of him before the mirror. “you too Nick. You clean up nice, when you want to.”

He grinned. “you know it… hey look up for a moment.” he smiled down at her as she looked up, leaning down to give her nose a small kiss. He watched as a small blush flickered across her face, her ears flicking to the side. “it's really nice to be able to do that now.”

She nodded in agreement, Leaning back against him slightly. “yeah. It is.”

They stayed like that for just a moment longer. In that gently pose, with her leaning back against him while he admired them both in the mirror. But after a moment Judy groaned. “come on. Coffee.”

Nick chuckled. “yeah. Lets go.”

 

\-------

 

“$9?! $9 for this?!” 

next to him Judy rolled her eyes.  “let it go Nick.”

But he shook his head. “hell no! If it was some amazing cup coffee that was spoon fed to me by a super model or made from beans roasted in a perpetually burning flame; fine. But it tastes TERRIBLE, came in a cardboard cup AND IT COST $9!”

She rolled her eyes again, smiling at Nick's dramatic outrage. On one hand she knew he was playing it up for the dramatics. On the other hand she did appreciate it; the coffee was pretty bad and had been pretty expensive. Now they were on the road again, following the instructions on Nick's phone as it directed then through the town and towards the sheriff's department. Around them steam and fog gave the entire toan a dream like look to it, with people seeming just appear out of the fog as they drove by. The town was definitely a spa town, with shops advertising massages, aroma therapy, private baths and other relaxation techniques at almost every other corner. Turning off the main road Nick raised an eyebrow as they pulled up in front of the Sheriff’s department. It was a small building. Half hidden behind a small cafe with a slightly dated looking sign that read ‘Onsen-Grange sheriff's office.

Getting out of the car Nick glanced at Judy who looked back at him. “Not exactly prestigious looking is it?”

She shook her head. “not really. Come on.”

He followed her, falling in line behind her as she pulled open the door to the building and stepped inside. The first thing that struck him was that this looked more like a doctor's office than a police station. In Front of them a desk had been set up behind a waist high counter, with a mouse sitting behind that; who looked up at them as they entered. “Can I help you?”

Judy nodded, stepping up to the counter before speaking. I'm  Judy Hopps. This is Nick Wilde,” at the mention of his name Nick game the mouse a small nod and smile. “we're the detectives from Zootopia.”

The mouse looked from her to him before speaking. “Yes, your superior said you wanted to speak a guest at one of the resorts?”

Nick nodded. “Anna Maxwell, yes.”

The mouse nodded. “ok. Go on back. The sheriff wanted to talk with you when you arrived. When you come back I'll have the information on where she's staying ready.”

They both nodded. Moving around behind the desk and heading down a hallway that led deeper into the building. More and more it felt like a doctor's office. They passed several doors that were closed. The placards on them reading ‘lost and found’, ‘storage’ and, and ‘personal interview’. As they walked Nick caught Judy's eye. He could tell she was thinking the same thing. As the hallways ended they found themselves in a larger room. Several desks had been setup and behind some of those desks people sat. A badger who was busy texting on his phone, a wolf who was typing something on her computer, a grey fox who seemed to be asleep, and a cat was saw busy reading the paper. All of them, with the exception of the sleeping fox looked at them as they stepped into the room. The badger spoke first. “whatcha want?”

Nick raised an eyebrow.  _ Not very professional _ . “we're here to talk to the sheriff. Was told he wanted to see us.”

The wolf went back to Her typing and cat returned to his paper, but the badger set his phone down. “and who are you?”

“Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, from the ZPD.” he watched as the badger looked him up and down for a moment before looking to Judy, a clear look of surprise covering his face. After a few moments the badger shrugged and jerked his thumb to a door on the back wall. 

“he's through there.”

As they moved forward Nick’s ears flicked as he caught the badger mumbling under his breath. “foxes and bunnies? Whats next?”

He bit his lip, resisting the urge to make a comment and let the badger know that his words had not gone unheard. Instead he followed Judy to the door before reaching out and knocking on its surface. There was silence for a moment and then, “yeah. Come in.”

He allowed Judy to open the door, finding that on the other side was an office. A desk, nowhere near as fancy as Bogo's had been setup. Behind the desk a large brown bear sat, looking at something on his computer but looked up at them after a moment. “yeah?”

Nick rolled his eyes, feeling a pang of annoyance wash through him. How many times were they gonna have to introduce themselves. “Judy Hopps. Nick Wilde.” he jerked his thumb to Judy and then himself. “the person up front said you wanted to speak to us?”

The bear's expression changed, a look of comprehension spreading across his face. “ah yes, the officers from the city. Come in, close the door and have a seat.”

Doing as they'd been asked Nick closed the door behind them before sitting down in one of the chairs in front of the bear's desk. After a moment the bear spoke again. “did you two have any breakfast? I can have Lisa go and get you something.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Lisa?”

The bear nodded. “the mouse at the reception desk. We can have her go get you something.”

Next to him Nick felt Judy stiffen a bit. He shook his head. “no, thank you. We don't wanna be any trouble.”

The bear shook his head, seemingly oblivious to Judy's stiffened demeanor. “it's no trouble. We have her do it all the time.” the ear chuckled and leaned back in his chair, as he did so Nick couldn't help but notice how the bear seemed to be larger and a bit out of shape. “it's one of reason she works here.”

Next to him Judy stiffened again, her eyes narrowing and her tail twitching angrily. Sensing her anger Nick spoke quickly, hoping to avoid the bear saying anything worse. “no sir. We just wanna talk to our person of interest and then get back to the city.”

The bear shrugged. “ok. Your chief briefed me on what it is you want. This,” the bear reached into a drawer before pulling a folder of paper out and dropping it on the desk towards them. “that's a writ, gives you temporary legal authority to question your person of interest, as if you were real cops.”

This time it was Nick's turn to narrow his eyes. In the span of two minutes this sheriff's department had managed to lose any kind of respect he might have had for them. “we are real cops.” as he spoke he grabbed the folder from the bear’s desk before standing up. Next to him Judy stood up too, her chair scraping the floor loudly

“we'll check back in before we leave.” Judy’s voice was cold and angry; with about as much disrespect as he'd ever heard her use when speaking to someone of higher rank. 

They didn't wait for the bear to respond, instead exiting his office, pushing the door open with a bit more force that was needed. The people at their desks jumped, the sleeping fox jerking awake. The wolf glared at them. “fuck’s your problem?”

Nick returned her glare. “just trying to do our jobs. try it sometime.” they stormed past the seated ‘officers’ making their way back down the hallway and to the lobby. The mouse Lisa looked up at them as they approached. 

As they neared her desk Judy spoke. “nice co-workers you have here. It's amazing you don't sue.”

Lisa shrugged sadly. “wouldn't do any good. Hellina Maxwell is staying at the La-powa hotel. It's on the other side of the springs. About 15 minutes from here.” as she spoke the mouse held out a piece of paper with the information she'd found. 

Taking the paper from her Nick smiled, doing his best to seem more relaxed than he was. “thanks.”

Lisa smiled weakly at him. “its fine. I'm used to it. Really.”

Judy shook her head. “doesn't make it right.”

Lisa shrugged. “maybe. But in a town like this its not like I have many options. Really officers. Its fine. Go.”

Sighing deeply Nick looked to Judy. He could see she'd calmed down, a little. Her ears were still standing up in anger, but her tail had stopped twitching. He knew what she was thinking, he was thinking it too. Part of him wanted to storm out of this place and never come back. Another part of him wanted to march back into that bear's office and punch him right in his face. But they had a job to do, and no matter how they felt they still had to do that job. Still…

“Hang in there.”

It was a stupid thing to say. Mostly said because he couldn't think of what else to say to the mouse. Again the mouse smiled weakly. “thanks.”

They left the building, getting back into their car and heading out. As they left the parking lot Nick again noticed Judy using a bit more force than was needed, their tires screeching slightly as they pulled into the road, leaving faint black marks on the concrete

  
  


\---------

 

The resort was just as lavish and luxurious as you'd expect one to be. Walking in to the lobby Nick wrinkled his nose as the smells of mint, eucalyptus, sage and lavender hit his nose. All around him men and woman dressed in elegant clothing wandered in and out of a series of elevators. Amongst them bellhops and attendants moved, clad in a fancy almost looking uniform. The walls and floors were a spotless marble that made his nails click slightly as he walked across it. Mentally Nick rolled his eyes.  _ Damn rich people. _

Moving towards the front desk they watched as a small otter smiled at them. “welcome to la-po-”

Nick cut the otter off. “yeah yeah. We're with the ZPD. We'd like to speak with one of your guests, Hellina Maxwell.”

The otter blinked at him, perhaps momentarily stunned that he'd been interrupted. For a moment he stared at them silently but after a few seconds to recover, spoke again. I'm  sorry… sir… ma'am, but we cannot allow you to disturb one of our most honored guests. I do hope you-”

Again Nick cut him off, dropping the folder they had been give at the sheriff's office onto the counter in front of the otter. “you know what this is? A writ from the sheriff giving us legal authority to talk to Ms Maxwell. So I will ask again. Where can we find her?”

The otter fidgeted nervously. Next to him Nick felt Judy move, tugging on his sleeve. “Nick, go easy on him. He's just doing his job.”

He looked down at her slightly surprised by her words. But as his gaze fell upon her face her expression told him all he needed to know. She wanted him to play along. He pulled his sleeve out of her grasp dramatically. “fuck that. We drove eight hours here, are sleeping in some shitty hotel, paid $9 for coffee that tastes like ass, and now we can't talk to the person we drove all the way out here to see? FUCK THAT.”

he said the last words a little louder than the others, noting how the otter's eyes widened as his raised voice echoed slightly in the stone lobby. Next to him Judy played along as well, her voice taking on a compromising tone. “Nick, he's just doing his job. Besides, we can wait for Hellina to come out. Then we can speak to her here in the lobby, it seems pleasant enough to wait in.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “fine. But when she comes out we will get out answers. This is a MURDER,” he said that word with a bit more emphasis.  “investigation after all not some-”

He broke off as the otter let out a kind of surprised splutter at the word ‘murder’. Looking to him, Nick pretended; act surprised that the otter was still there. “What?”

The otter squirmed in his chair for a moment before speaking in a hushed tone. “if I take you to Mrs Maxwell, can I trust you officers to be… discrete and not allow our other guests to overhear the… subject of your questions?”

He let Judy speak, it had been her plan after all. “yes, we promise. We'll be discrete, but we must speak to her.”

The otter nodded. “very well, follow me.” 

He let Judy go first, catching her eye and giving her a quick wink of approval. They moved with the otter, following him out of the lobby and down a spacious hallway that was easily as wide as their entire hotel room. Quickly the otter led them down the hallway before opening a door and gesturing for them to keep following. As they stepped through the door they found themselves in a large open steam room. All around them people lounged, panting as sweat dripped from their fur. Following the otter Nick and Judy came to a stop in front of a door marked ‘private’. The otter looked at them. “Ms Maxwell is inside getting a steam massage. Now please, ask your questions and then go.”

Keeping with their act Nick rolled his eyes while Judy nodded. “We will, thank you.”

As the otter left them alone Nick nudged Judy with his hip. “nice. Getting pretty good at your hustles.”

She grinned at him before moving to open the door. “I have a good teacher.”

He chuckled at that, watching as she opened the door before stepping inside the room. Following her Nick took a moment to glance around. Decorative tiles lined the walls, a large vent in the middle of the room was billowing steam into the room. And laying down on a table was Ms Maxwell, a masseuse working on her but stopping when they entered the room. Clearing his throat Nick spoke. “Hellina Maxwell?”

The racoon stirred, her tailing flicking slightly as she looked up at them for a moment. “what do you want? I'm  busy.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Same thing our associate told you. We want to talk to you.”

Hellina sighed, her head going back to the massage table. “So, you're ZPD. Pretty far from the city aren't you? You must really wanna talk to me.”

Judy nodded. “we do. It's about Jack Magnus.”

Hellina let out a soft chuckle. “Course it is.”

The masseuse, a fit looking bull looked nervously from Nick and Judy to Hellina. “ma'm, if you'd like I can give you and these officers so pr-”

Hellina growled warningly. “I didn't tell you to stop. Keep going.”

This time it was Nick who growled. Maybe it as the heat from the steam. Maybe it was the fact that this woman had deliberately tried to avoid speaking to them. Maybe it was the racist and asshole ‘police’ he and Judy had to work with. Or maybe it was all these rich people he had to be around. Whatever the cause He was starting to get VERY annoyed. With an aggressive growl he pulled his badge from his belt, making sure the masseuse could see it before speaking. “Get the fuck out. NOW.”

The bull let quickly, rushing past them before closing the door. From the massage table Hellina shifted, glaring at them. “that was very rude detective. I paid good money for an hour long hot massage. And you're interrupting it.”

Again Nick growled, putting his badge back on his belt as he spoke. “Tough shit. Answer our questions and we'll go.”

Hellina sighed and shifted, reaching out to grab a towel laying on the floor before wrapping herself in it and sitting up. “what did you say your name was officer?”

He glared at her. “Nick Wilde.”

She frowned at him. “Wilde…. Wilde….. that name sounds familiar. Have we met before?”

Nick shook his head. “Nope. Id remember if we had. Now stop stalling. Answer our questions.”

Hellina rolled her eyes. “very well. You want to ask me about Jack's murder? Fine. I'll tell you what I've told everyone who's ever asked me about it. So listen carefully detectives.” she paused for a moment as if making sure they were truly listening before speaking. “I don't know who murdered jack why, and I don't care. Jack and I dated for six months, it didn't work out. Why? Because Jack Magnus was a lying conniving manipulative man who had everyone in the city fooled; except me.”

That made Nick raise an eyebrow. “how so?”

Hellina chuckled. “because his entire persona of the social justice warrior who cared about prey and the poor, was all an act. A fabrication to help him get what he wanted. And it fooled everyone. Maybe even Jack himself. But not me.”

Next to him Nick felt Judy cock her head slightly. “why not you?”

Again Hellina chuckled. “because I was raised to always assume the worst from people. That way when it happens, you're not surprised. Everyone saw Jack as this loving caring philanthropist who wanted to help the prey fit into the city they were building. But if anyone actually stopped to think about it, everything he did was calculated and planned. A move in a game where in the end, Jack got rich.”

Nick shook his head. “I don't see how helping the poor helped him. It would have cost him time, money, things he could have sunk into making money.”

Hellia rolled her eyes. “yes. But then everyone would know he was only thinking about money. Look at it from another perspective detective. Jack went out of his way to help prey. So when he needed their help, they jumped at the chance to work for the great Jack Magnus. By aiding them in the past Jack ensured loyalty in the future. When his family’s factory shut down and he hire all those scabs, how many of them do you think had no idea who he was? None. They all knew him, and they were happy to accept his offer of work. But what he didn't tell them was that for every penny he paid them, he made a dollar. In the six months those preys worked for him he made $3,700,000 dollars. Guess how much he paid them. Only $30,000 total. He got rich. While they stayed almost the same.”

Hellina smirked. “Jack was no savor to prey. He was just another greedy businessman like his father. He just hid it better.” She looked from Nick to Judy. “do you know what a business needed back then to be successful? Only three things. Loyalty, reputation, and control. Jack cultivated loyalty with his acts of charity to the prey community. So when he needed help, they did so without question. Because he’d conditioned them to believe that he was an honorable businessman who wouldn't try to cheat them like others would. As for reputation, it was no secret Jack's father was a raging abusive drunk. Everyone knew it; hell half the town was the exact same way. And everyone knew that Jack was standing up to him. Of course what no one seemed to realise is this. If you're going to stand up to a violent drunk, then that means you must be able to fight yourself. Which means Jack could be violent when he wanted to be. Lastly,”

Hellia shifted a little, her tail flicking in an almost playful manner. Nick’s eyes narrowed. She was enjoying this. “control. No doubt you know that Jack called out my family shortly before he died. But do you know why? It wasn't for the prey thats for sure. My father wanted to build a port in the city, to help bring in outside goods to aid in construction. The party, was an investment party. To see who else would be interested in the venture. Jack spoiled it, no one wanted to invest with someone who appeared to be a lier and a cheater. Of course what Jack didn't tell anyone was that if the port had opened, then that would have meant steel could be brought in from outside the city, from factories jack’s family didn't own. Which would have threatened Jack's family and their wealth. so by stopping people from investing, Jack continued his family's control over the steel industry in the city.”

A grin spread across Hellina's face as she watched them process what she'd said. After a moment Nick watched as she turned to look at him. Her smile growing. “Say it detective. You and I both know you want to. And its nothing I haven't been told before.”

Shifting his weight a bit Nick shrugged. “You're kind of a bitch. Maybe that's why Jack left you.”

Hellina chuckled again. “maybe. But people are predictable once you understand them. For example, I bet the only reason you're talking to me is because Victoria mentioned me, by name. Right?”

After a moment Judy nodded. “you name came up when we spoke to her, yes.”

Hellina smiled again. “course it did. Because she always hated me. I took her precious brother’s attention away from her. It was amusing. She’d always try to tag along on our dates or whenever Jack would go somewhere. and She'd get so mad and jealous when anyone would distract Jack and capture his attention or make it so he wants paying attention or spending time with her. This is just a way for her to say ‘fuck you’ to me, one more time.”

This time Nick smirked. “and what about Marcus Dawson? He mentioned you too, by name.”

For a moment Hellina looked genuinely surprised. “Dawson? That old queer is still alive? Wow. Thought for sure he would have died by now from his lifestyle. But I'm not surprised he mentioned me. He hated me too.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Him too? Shocking. What could he possibly have to dislike about you?”

Hellina chuckled. “oh just the usual. He was in love with Jack. Even tried to kiss him once or twice from what I heard. but Jack didn't return those feelings. Naturally the pinning queer would hate whoever Jack dated.” They hadn't been expecting that. Nick’s eyes widened a bit while next to him Judy’s ears flicked with surprise. Hellina smirked again. “Let me guess. The old queer conveniently forgot to tell you that? That he was in love with Jack? Big shock. Well let me tell you another secret about Jack, then. One very few people knew. Jack was in bed with the mob, Tommy Hammerhead and his ilk. He met with them a few times before he died. And Marcus knew about it. So you see detective, Jack was no savor. He didn't give a shit about anyone but himself.”

A small smile spread across Judy’s face. “Then what was he doing with Anna? If he didn't care about her, and all he was doing was furthering his own goals. Why would he waste his time with a lounge singer?”

For the first time in the conversation Hellina seemed puzzled. “I'll admit, I don't know. And i've spent a long time trying to figure it out. But I have no doubt it was something to further his own agenda. What other possible reason could he have for associating with gutter trash like her?”

Nick ground his teeth together. Never before had he felt this much resentment towards a person before. It was so strong he could almost taste it in his mouth.  _ BITCH!  _ “Where were you the night Jack was murdered?”

Hellina shrugged. “At the Garden’s Aglow Gala. Like everyone else worth knowing that night. And before you ask, yes I saw Jack there. I watched him mingle for an hour and then he and Dawson snuck off to Dawson’s car and left.”

Nick’s eyes widened again. Dawson hadn't mentioned that part about the gala. Hellina seemed to know this. A wide smirk spreading across her face. “Sounds like Dawson didn't tell you a lot of things. I'm sure he has good reasons though. For not telling the police Jack was involved with dangerous organizations, or that he was the last person to see Jack alive, or that he was madly in love with Jack. but yes, Im sure the old queer has his reasons.”

Judy smiled and nodded, doing her best to seem polite as she spoke. “Thank you for speaking to us Ms Maxwell. We’ll be going now.”

Hellina smiled back. “Detectives, if you want my opinion on thi-”

But Nick cut her off, a deep huff making his nostrils flare as he spoke angrily. “We don't.”

Hellina shrugged. “Have it your way. But you should understand something going forward. Otherwise you’ll be fooled by Jack too. Jack and I are basically the same person. The only difference is this. Jack played the game of niceties, politics, and deception. I don't. I'm perfectly clear with my feelings and attitudes towards anything and everyone. So you may think I'm a bitch, probably the biggest bitch you’ve ever met. But at least I'm honest about it. I'll say what I want, when I want and to who I want. And if people have a problem with that, tough. But they’ll always know where they stand with me. If they’re good to me, loyal and trustworthy; I can be quiet friendly. But if they’re my enemies, or if I don't like them. Well then, I destroy them. Completely and utterly until there is nothing left but a smoking crater…. In… the...ground….”

Hellina’s voice trailed off, her gaze sliding back to look at Nick in silence for a few moments. After a few seconds Nick spoke. “What?”

A curious look spread across Hellina’s face. “Nick Wilde…” she said the name as if she’d heard it for the first time. “Nicolas Wilde?”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. So what?”

A moment later a cruel smirk spread across Hellina’s face. “That’s where I know you….Nicky Wilde.”

For a split second Nick’s mind went completely blank. Nicky Wilde? He hadn't heard that Nickname in years, not since- 

His eyes narrowed, until they were almost slits of rage. “No… it can't be....”

Hellina’s smirk grew. “You dated my granddaughter Jenny. Surprised they let you into the ZPD. Thought for sure everything I taught her to say about you would ruin you for the rest of your life.”


	11. Confronting the past and Moving forward

She'd worked with Nick long enough to know when a disaster was about to happen. Next to her Nick's face had gone completely blank as his brain tried to understand what Hellina had said. Even she was struggling a bit. Not only was Jenny the girl who had almost ruined Nick's life, but she was Hellina's granddaughter. The chances of that had to be-

“you…” She'd never heard his voice like that before. Deep and filled with a kind of rage that she'd only ever heard criminals use. “....you…” with a jolt Judy found that Nick's hands had balled into fists which now shook as he stared at Hellina. “... you… you…” for a moment it looked like Nick might actually attack Hellina. His eyes had narrowed to slits, his hands shook with rage and she could smell the spike in his scent as his body prepared for a fight. “you…” he pointed at her, his voice trembling with anger. “... failed. I became something. Something better than the lying fox you and your granddaughter tried to make me. And now.... you’re not worth the effort.”

A second later Nick turned away, roughly kicking the door to the main steam room before storming through it. “N-Nick?” She tried to follow him, but he was moving faster than usual, making it harder to keep up. “Nick wait.” he didn't wait, he didn't even break stride or look back at her. If anything he sped up, the distance growing between them. “NICK.”

In Front of her she watched as he kicked the door to the hotel open, making the door bang open with a crash that echoed through the stone lobby. She rushed to follow him, but found her path cut off momentarily by a group of wolves who walked in front of her. She ducked and weaved, scurrying through the group of wolves and back out the door Nick had gone through. Outside the misty sunlight was harsh on her eyes, making  blink as she looked around trying find where Nick had go-

“THAT FUCKING BITCH! THAT FUCKING SHIT EATING WORTHLESS PILE OF FUCKING SHIT BITCH!”

The anger in his voice made her eyes widen. She’d heard him get angry before. But this was an entirely new level of rage. She followed the sound of his yells, moving off the sidewalk and through the grasses in front of the hotel before turning at the corner of the building and- 

Nick arm was drawn back, his hand clenched in a fist. A second later it rocketed forward, slamming into the trunk of the tree Nick was standing under. “fucking bitch. FUCKING BITCH.  **FUCKING BITCH!!!”**

He punched the tree again and again, his hand making a crunching sound as it collided that made Judy wince. But if he was in pain Nick seemed to ignore it, slamming his fist repeatedly into the tree until with a kind of choked sob he seemed to crumble in on himself, dropping to the base of the tree. 

“Nick!” She rushed towards him. He jerked at the sound of her voice turning to look at her and-

The look on his face was like a punch to the gut. She could see so many emotions covering his face. Anger, fear, sadness, rage, pain and despair; all of them rippled across his face as tears fell from his eyes. She could see his hands now, the knuckles had split open and were oozing blood, staining his red fur a deeper color of crimson. She dropped to the ground next to him and did the only think she could think of. She could feel him shaking, his body wracked with sobs as she held him gently against her chest. “shhhh. It's ok.” 

Shakily he managed to gasp between sobs. “It's… not… fair…”

She held him tighter. It was unfair, the whole situation was beyond unfair. How long had he suffered because of that woman and her family? What could his life have been if he and his mother hadn't been branded liars? She could only imagine the number of times he'd thought about what he would do if he ever met those responsible. And now, to have come so far and then come face to face with the person responsible, she could only imagine what he was feeling. In a split second she made up her mind, tilting his head up so he was looking at her before softly pressing her lips to his. It was a soft kiss, not meant to be passionate but instead reassuring. She felt him freeze for a moment before she pulled away. He was looking up at her, his eyes wide. “J-Judy…” his eyes looked around nervously.

She smiled down at him. “I don't care if anyone saw. Fuck them. And fuck this town. Let's go home.”

he sniffed but nodded. “y-yeah. O-hssssss.”

He ground his teeth together as pain lanced through his battered and abused hands. Now that the adrenaline had worn off he could feel the deep throbbing pain his anger had caused himself. his fingers didn't feel broken, he knew what that felt like. But he could tell the splits in his knuckles were deep, and no doubt dirt and bark had entered the Injuries as well. Next to him Judy spoke. “come on. We'll find you a clinic first then we'll go.”

He nodded weakly, slowly getting to his feet while cradling his battered hands. And he turned to go to the car he found several people had stopped and were watching them. For a moment he wondered how long they had been there. Had they seen him and Judy kiss. But then, “Fuck off. It's police business.”

His angry growl seemed to jolt the onlookers, making them scurry away. He moved slowly, doing his best not to move his hands to much as he they neared the car. He smiled appreciatively when Judy opened his door for, allowing him to sink down into his seat, his hand held against his chest keep the blood off the fabric. “Nick…” 

He looked at her, feeling his heart clench as he did. He could see the worry on her face. The concern over his reaction, over his hand. He bit his lip looking at his hand. How could he explain? How could he put into words the rage and anger he felt? “when I… was a kid… I'd get so mad at jenny, at myself, at everything that had happened. It wasn't fair. Her abusing me, ruining my life. I could handle that. But… what she did to my mom… I hated her for that. I wanted to break every bone in her body for that. So she'd feel the pain I felt every time I saw my mom walk through the door completely exhausted, knowing it was all my fault. I just… I wanted to hurt her so badly. So she'd know what she did to me. And now… now I know… it wasn't JUST jenny. It was her, that bitch back there. THEY ruined my mother's life, almost ruined mine. And… and now that im reformed… now that i'm not the cheating fox they tried to make me…. I can't do anything about it. I can't make them pay for what they did. Because… if I do… then they won. Then I really am the no good fox they tried to make me. And… it hurts… it kills me. I wanted so badly to grab her, to snap her neck. To break her in every way I could possibly think of. I wanted…. Revenge for what they did to me. But I can't do it. Or… or they… they…”

He bit his lip, struggling to keep the sob that was building in his chest from slipping out. He could feel his chest tightening. He brought his uninjured hand to his face, awkwardly trying to cover the tears that were already welling up again. It really wasn't fair. How long had he wanted this exact thing to happen? How long had he dreamed of finding jenny and making her pay for what she had done? Of scamming her out of every cent she had and leaving her broken and miserable like she had done to him; regretting ever meeting him? And now.... 

“Nick…” he pressed his hand to his face harder, willing himself calm down; and failing miserably. “Nick… look at me.” He shook his head, mostly to himself. “NICK. LOOK AT ME.”

He felt her hand on his. All the pain, all the hurt, all the shame he felt he knew she could see it. He couldn't hide anything from her, not if his life depended on it. He tried to keep his eyes closed, tried to hide that last little part of him that he had to himself. That place he’d made long ago; where he stuffed all of his pain and guilt and shame until he didn't have to think about it anymore. “Nick. listen to me. You are not to blame for what happened. They did this to you. Why? Because they’re terrible horrible people. You didn't deserve what they did. Nobody deserves that. You are not what they tried to make you. You are good and kind and a wonderful person. Nick Wilde, you are BETTER than they are. Better than they could ever hope to be. Because even after everything they did to you, even after coming to face to face with one of them; you didn't give in. you didn't sink to their level. That makes you BETTER THAN THEM.”

Her words coaxed more tears out of him. Not tears of sadness but… or relief… of joy… of the knowledge that someone thought he was a good person. He felt her hands on his face, his head moving as she tilted it a little, giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead. “Nick… look at me.”

His breath came in a deep shudder gasp as he felt his eyes open against his will. And there she was, through all his pain, all his self loathing, all he’d been through… there she was. She hadn't left him. She hadn't thought him a lying cheating untrustworthy fox… Well not after she’d gotten know him. She’d seen through him. Seen through what he’d been forced to be. Seen the good in him. “Nick wilde, I love you. You are everything to me. And no matter what they tried to make you, I know what you REALLY are. And I love you for it. And i'm not going to let you stay in this town a second longer. We’re going to get your hand fixed. We’re going to go back to my parent’s place. And tomorrow… all of this will be behind you. Ok?”

He inhaled sharply, nodding as his voice refused to work. She shook her head. “No Nick. Say it. Say you understand.”

He struggled to make the words come out, but after a bit of effort… “I.... I understand.”

She nodded. “Good. now let’s get the hell out of here.”

 

\-------

 

It took them a little under and hour to find a clinic, get Nick’s hand stitched up, go back to the hotel and check out. As they did so Judy noted that the hotel employee checking them out, a tall male deer looked at them oddly as he looked over their room charges. She glared at him, mentally daring him to make a comment about the room having a single bed. But he said nothing, quickly checking them out and handing them a receipt for their room charges which she took. A short while later they were back in the car. As she started the engine Nick spoke softly. “So… now back to the racist sheriffs?” 

Judy shook her head. “Fuck them. We got what we came for. And if we go back there I might just rage flip that Jackass’s desk.”

He laughed, perhaps a bit louder than he realized. She looked sideways at him. His arm and hand were in a sling now, his hand wrapped in a cocoon of gauze and bandages so as to keep his stitches clean. The clinic doctor had given them some pain meds. Nothing super strong, but just strong enough that she’d made an effort to tell Judy to keep an eye on him. He wasn't exactly out of it, but she could tell he was a bit altered, his eyes having a kind of half glassy look about them. Like someone who was just starting to get drunk but was not quite yet. She gunned the engine, pulling out of the hotel parking lot and back onto the main road heading out of the town. 

For several minutes they drove in silence, the only sound that of the engine and the tires on the road.

“Judy…” the use of her first name made her blink in surprise. She shifted, looking at him sideways. Nick’s head was turned, his gaze looking out the window at the passing scenery. After a few seconds he continued. “thank you… for seeing more than just a shifty fox…”

She shifted a little, her heart clenching at his words. “you're welcome.”

He remained silent for another few moments. “if you hadn't come along… hadn't pulled me from the gutters… if you hadn't made me want to be a better person… I don't… I think… I probably would have died like that… hustling pawpsicles.”

Again she felt her heart clench, this time more painfully. “Nick…”

He turned, his eyes were still half glassed over and his voice wobbled a little as he some. “thank you for saving me Judy..”

His words made her inhale sharply, the emotion in his words bringing small tears to her eyes. Sniffing a bit she wiped the eyes on her arm. “of course Nick.”

“Hey Judy…” she bit her lip. What more could he sa- 

“I love you.”

She forced herself to breath, to take a deep breath and just gather herself. She wasn't usually this emotional but… the tone of Nick's voice, the rawness of his emotions. It was getting to her. “I love you t-”

“Zzzzzzzz.”

She blinked at the sound of the snoring. She looked at Nick, finding him slumped with his face pressed against the window. Another snore rippled through him a moment later. Despite the emotions she'd felt a moment before she couldn't help but smile a bit. Even passed out he could make her laugh. Taking another breath she focused on the road. They had a few hours to go till they returned to bunny borough. Slowly as they left the town her mind began to turn to the case and to what Hellina had told them. Marcus Dawson had lied to them. Well… ok not lied, but had left out vital information that could have helped them. And that was something they couldn't ignore. Not only was he in love with Jack at the time, but he was possibly the last person to see Jack alive. And to top it all off he knew about Jack’s connection to the mob. He'd have to explain himself and why he'd hid such information.

She’d read about Tommy Hammerhead. He’d been ruthless when he’d been in power. He’d controlled almost all of the criminal enterprises in the budding Zootopia. And then just like with all mobsters, someone else had come along, killed him and taken over. She bit her lip. What would Jack possible need the mob for? He had enough money to simply buy whatever he needed. Power, influence, people; from the sound of it, everything and anything in those days had a price. So then would Jack risk going to mob? 

Mentally she sighed. There was a way they could find out. They just so happen to know an arctic shrew who had very VERY close ties to those communities. But talking to Mr. Big about this would mean they would have to o the subtle dances of ‘hypothetically’ and ‘if I were to’ and ‘associates’; which honestly drove her almost insane. Nick could handle them just fine. He did so like a pro. But her.... She struggled with it, with the moral gymnastics required knowing; even if it was never explicitly said that Mr Big was a Mobster and could make people do horrible things if he wanted them to. Of course their friendship with FruFru helped. And being little Judy’s godmother helped too. But it was still hard. 

And of course they’d have to talk to Mr Dawson again. To confront him about his misinformation and to make sure he wasn't hiding anything else from them. She sighed softly, again glancing at Nick. The more they looked into this case…

It was hard not to see the similarities between Jack, anna and Nick, and her. Sure, neither her nor Nick was rich. But that was splitting hairs. They were both unlikely people im unique positions. She, the first rabbit officer in zootopia. Jack, the son of the richest family in the city. Anna a lounge singer who seemingly came from nothing. Nick, a grifter turned police officer after having survived an unimaginable life. Both of them in love. Both of them predator and prey couples. And…

She looked sideways at Nick, watching as he snored softly with his head against the window. She wondered… how would their story end? Jack and Anna's had ended in murder, both of them being killed together. She was fairly certain that wouldn't happen to her and Nick. Their training from the academy would be more than enough to survive any kind of attack on them… Hopefully.

But… how would their story go? Would they survive all odds and remain together? Would something happen and as a result they'd split up? Would they be able to remain friends and partners if that happened? Again she looked at him. She had known their relationship wouldn't be easy. There was no way it could be. So far they'd been lucky. But… could it truly be called luck? So far the only people who knew about their relationship was them, and finnick. They hadn't told anyone else. She bit her lip at that thought. How would others react to the news?

Her family… would have mixed reactions. Her mother and father would be nervous. But they would accept the relationship, she had no doubt of that. Gregory her cousin would probably be delighted. She could also see the big grin that would be on his face. Behind him his bobcat boyfriend, just in would probably pull Nick into a hug.  Some of her brothers and sisters would be ok with it. They'd have questions. Probably VERY embarrassing questions. Others… like her sister Jill… would be less ok with it. She could easily imagine the look of disgust on her sister's face. Then again, she'd never really liked Jill. Maybe just to rub it in she'd kiss Nick in front of her. That thought made her smile.

What about his family? That made her pause. Nick never really talked about his mom, not in a way that told her if his mother was still alive. Until yesterday Nick had never talked about his father. Vaguely she wondered if he had any brothers or sisters. But she discarded that thought a second later, he would have said by now if he had any siblings.

 

Slowly her mind stretched out, away from their families. Their friends… most of them would be ok with it. Clawhauser would think it was adorable. FruFru and her father would be happy for them. 

Their coworkers… that would be more divided. She was pretty sure most of their coworkers would be ok with it. Some of them would be happy but not want a lot of details, something she could respect. Others… would be much less understanding. Even some in their own department would certainly disapprove. And the chief… she was pretty sure he wouldn't care at all. But she was also sure he'd pull them aside for a little talk about it from a purely HR standpoint.

She sighed softly. And what about Nick? Would he want to tell everyone? Would he want to tell some people but not everyone? What would he want to do? For that matter did they even need to tell EVERYONE they knew? 

She sighed again. Only have one side of the conversation wasn't helping. These were not things she could decide on her own. She'd need to talk to Nick about this. About what he wanted to do going forward. About what we wanted for their future together.

“ju...dy…” she looked over at the sound of her name. Nick was still asleep, but his face was twitching slightly and she had no doubt that he was speaking to some dream version of her. She bit her lip, her heart swelling a bit with the knowledge that he was dreaming about her. She wondered what the dream was about? Were they on some big case? Were they on some moonlit romantic date? Were they cuddled in each other's arms? Or we- “... called… hussle….”

She smiled to herself at his words. How many times had they quoted that line to each other? At least a few hundred for sure. In a way it was possibly the thing that had led to their friendship. If he hadn't said it to her then he wouldn't have infuriated her enough to pull all information the city had on him. And if she hadn't pulled that info then she'd have never found his tax records which had let her ‘convince’ him to help her. And if that hadn't happened…

She looked back at him. So many things could be different without him. But… there was no need to think about them. He was here now. And that was all there was too it.

 

\-----

 

The sun was just starting to decline as they pulled into bunny borough. She turned, looking at Nick who had woken up an hour or so ago and was now watching the town pass by. “I like your family.” 

she blinked at his words. “really?”

He nodded. “yeah. They're sweet. They all seem to really care about you. Its nice.”

She nodded, slowly turning onto the road that led to her family farm. “they like you too. The kids wouldn't have tackled you if they didn't like you. I…” her eyes flickered to his arm and hand in a sling. “i'll make sure they don't do that, this time.”

Nick smiled weakly. “thanks.”

She nodded. “how does it feel?”

Nick shrugged. “I think punching her face would have felt better.”

She chuckled. “i'm glad you didn't. The chief would have lost it.”

Nick grinned. “or he might have promoted me. But now we'll never know.”

She chuckled again. “no. No he wouldn't have.”  

Her house was in sight now. She could see several family members out from, turning to watch as they neared. “hey Judy… thanks for… what you said before. It… I didn't realize… how badly I needed to hear.”

She nodded, looking at him. “it's true. You are better than them. Remember that.”

As the car came to the stop Nick nodded. “I will.”

She shut off the car, both of them stepping out a moment.

“Judy. Nick.” Her mom came into view, walking towards them smiling. The smile faltered a bit as her eyes found Nick's hand. “what happened?”

Nick sighed. They'd discussed what to say already. “when we got to the hotel, the elevator tried to close to early. I stuck my hand in it and… it got munched pretty badly.”

he watched as Bonnie’s eyes flickered to Judy, a silent question of if he was telling the truth. Luckily Judy had learned a few things about lying and he had no doubt, when Bonnie's eyes returned to him, that their deception has worked. “gosh, i'm so sorry to hear that Nick. Would you like help with your bags?”

He was just opening his mouth when Judy spoke over him. “its ok, I was gonna help him. I figure He can stay in my room.”

Bonnie looked at her daughter? “in...  your room?”

Judy nodded. “yeah. That way he doesn't have to worry about being bothered by the little kids. And I can help him if he needs it.”

Bonnie continued to look unsure. “but… where will you sleep?”

Now he was looking at Judy. Was she really trying to pull this off, and trick her family into letting them stay in the same room? He watched as she looked at her mother as if she'd been asked a trick question. “in my room.”

Bonnie's eyes widened a bit. “with…”

Dramatically Judy rolled her eyes. “mom, Nick is my partner. We've spent entire stakeouts in hotel rooms together, he's saved my life multiple times, and now he's injured. So yeah, he can stay in my room with me and you can relax. It's not like im a teenager anymore.”

She spoke in a matter of fact tone, one that Nick had only ever heard her use once or twice before. But he could also see the faint twitches of excitement in Judy's tail. The small signs that she knew her con was working. He'd have to mention those to her. They could give away a con if you didnt keep them in check. In front of them Bonnie shifted nervously before nodding. “you're right. sorry.”

Judy smiled, rushing forward to give her mom a hug. Nick chuckled. He could almost feel the joy radiating off of his little rabbit. Dimly eh wondered, how much of that was because her hussle had worked. As they moved to pull their bags out of the back of the car Nick chuckled. “not bad. Maybe I am rubbing off on you in a good way.”

Judy smirked at him. “maaaaybe. Or maybe id rather we have a room all to ourselves so you can rub off on me in a different kinda way.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, swinging his duffle bag over his shoulder. “w-what? here? With your family all around?”

Judy narrowed her eyes seductively. “follow me into the bunny's den if you dare foxy.”

She swing picked up her bag and headed towards the home. He watched her go for a second, his heart beating a bit faster as he noted the slight exaggeration of her hips swaying as she walked away.  _ Dumb fox, like you're gonna say no to her. She's got your heart wrapped around her fingers and she knows it. Face it, she hustled you GOOD. And you don't even care. _

A moment later he rushed after her.


	12. Going WIlde (SMUT)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SMUT!  
> YOU DONT LIKE SMUT?  
> DONT READ THIS CHAPTER

The door to her room had barely closed before she was on him, grabbing him by his good hand and pulling him to her bed. She spun him around before pushing him backwards, making him fall onto her bed. There was something about that. Something about know that despite him being bigger and stronger than her, that she could bring him down this easily. Like she was the predator and he was the prey. She moved onto him, straddling his hips her paws ran along his chest. She wanted him, so badly right now. She couldn't explain it. With a gun to her head she couldn't have put into words why. But… being here… back in her old room, in a place he had never been; a place that had absolutely no trace of him in it. It drove her insane, a desperate need to add him to the space almost overwhelming her. And yet… her needs diminished as her paws came to his injured arm. For a moment she stared at his arm, a reminder of how others had tried to make him be something he wasn't. How he was always twisting and warping himself to be what others wanted. Even… even her; her mind flashing back to when he’d clawed and torn at her bed to keep himself from moving as she’d adjusted to having him inside her for the first time. a feeling of cold sinking painful-

“Hey...”

His voice called to her, pulled her out of whatever dark emotions she was feeling and made her gaze drift upwards to his face. He was looking at her, and expression of…

She bit her lip, his green eyes feeling like they could see right through her. His good hand came up, pulling her forward before drifting to the back of her head and pulling her down. Their lips met in a soft but passionate kiss. She could feel the flame inside her starting to spark and smolder. She groaned into the kiss, her nostrils flaring as his scent slowly filled her lungs. As they broke the kiss she felt him move, nuzzling her cheek, her neck; sending small shivers down her spine as his breath wafted across her body. 

“C-j-Judy...” His voice was low and husky, a tone of wanton desire that made her bite her lip. “w-what are you… doing to me?”

She smirked at the question as she pulled back to look down at him. She could see it in him now too. The slowly building want. The way his eyes were half open, his mouth parted slightly in a faint pant, his nostrils flared to pick up on even the smallest traces of her scent. Also the lump starting to grow in his pants. She was doing this to him. SHE was doing this to HIM. it filled her with pride, with boldness, with a desperate need to…

She shifted, leaning down to teasingly run her lips millimeters from his before drifting upwards and whispering into his ear. “Take me. No holding back, No restraint.” she felt his swallow nervously at her words, his breathing inhaling sharply. "I don't want to leave this room until everything has your scent on it. Until you’ve RAVAGED,” she said that word a bit more forceful that the others. “Me in every way you can think of.” 

Again he inhaled sharply, a deep shuddering breath in response to her words. "I... but…”

She silenced him with a finger, a single tiny finger pressing against his lips as she moved to look down at him; their eyes connecting. She could see the uncertainty, the fear, the worry that she might get hurt. It made her smile and her heart flutter. How could he possibly be this sweet? “This time is about you Nick.” as she spoke she moved, her paws going to his shirt which she slowly lifted, revealing her stomach and chest. “About your wants. Your needs.” she trailed kisses along his stomach, earning a soft moan with each one. “You made my first time special, amazing, perfect. You catered to me in every way you could. But now…” her paws drifted over his chest and stomach, a soft moan escaping her this time as she felt the tone fit muscles ripple in response. “...it your turn.”

Her hips moved, gently grinding against his, making her bite her lip as she found he was already growing hard under her attention. She rocked her hips again, earning a low groan from him. “So, tell me Nick. What do YOU want? How can I service yo-”

Her words were cut off as he moved, reaching up to grab the front of her shirt and roughly drag her back down to his lips. The kiss was ragged, rough, hardly romantic in anyway. And yet it made her heart jolt, the smoldering flames growing inside her as his tongue ran against her lips which she obediently opened. It was so wrong but sooo right; the feeling of his tongue invading her mouth, claiming her. It was like he was marking her, making her his. She felt his muscles flex under them as he pulled her harder against him, almost painfully crushing their lips together. Her heart was hammering in her chest, the flames of need and want now steadily burning. Her lungs ached from lack of air, but his hand held her in place, keeping her from pulling away until he let her. A deep shuddering growl rippled through his chest. “c-c-Carrots…”

She grabbed at his voice, focusing on it. He was pulling at her shirt, trying to lift it up with just his good hand. She smiled seductively. “order me.”

His eyes looked at her, at first uncertain. For a moment she broke ‘character’, leaning down to smile lovingly at him. “really Nick. It's ok. I know you wont hurt me. I wanna see your wild side.”

She watched as he bit his lip. "I... Judy…i … ok.” she watched as something came over him, a deep shuddering rolling through him. Then his expression changed. His eyes becoming...

She shivered as an aggressive look came over him. Filling his eyes, making him look wild and dangerous, like some kind of predator toying with his prey. Again he pulled at her shirt, this time with more force. “take it OFF.” his voice had become deeper, more commanding.

She smiled at him. Leaning back while pulling her shirt up and over her head before throwing it away. The look he was giving her was hungry, wanting; it sent shivers up her spine as she moved back to him. Almost instantly his good hand was on her. Running through her fur, her chest, beneath her he moaned softly. “how did I ever resist you?”

She smiled down at him. “cause you're secretly a romantic Nick.” as she spoke she leaned down, trailing little nips along his shoulder and neck. 

“g-gods Carrots.” his voice was low and husky, practically dripping with want. It thrilled her, to know that she was doing this to him. After several moments she felt him move, his free hand undoing the strap on the sling holding his injured hand. A moment later he let that drop off the side of the bed. Once both paws were free-

“ah! Haaaaaa-n-Nick!”

Her head snapped back a deep shuddering panting moan exploding from her mouth as she felt his nails against her skin. It was indescribable. The rush of adrenaline, fear and want; was almost intoxicating. Beneath her Nick purred at her response. She was finding it VERY hard to have her pants on. The flames of need had spread, making her pant and whimper as he teasingly drew his claws down her chest and stomach. She bit her lip, whimpering into the touch. "N-n-Nick…”

He grinned at her. An evil predator my grin that sent a jolt through her. Suddenly he moved. surging up from under her, Grabbing her shoulders and hips as he spun her around before pushing her onto her back. His weight came down around her, pinning her to the bed; trapping her. She squirmed out of instinct. But found that escape was impossible. Above her he grinned again. “my my. What has the big bad fox caught today? A tasty little rabbit for him to gobble up?”

As he spoke his injured hand moved. Effortlessly grabbing both her wrists and pinning them above her head while his other hand slowly trailed itself down her chest and stomach. She squirmed helpless against his grip and weight, biting her lip as she struggled. A deep whine escaping her mouth as his fingers trailing along her pants. He was teasing her, winding her up like a toy and watching her react. On any other day it would have annoyed her. But now… 

He leaned over her, his breath wafting against her ears, sending small shivers of anticipation down her spine. A second later she let out a half strangled yelp as she felt him nip the very tip of one of her ears. “anything I want Carrots? Anything at all?”

She nodded desperately, her body straining against him. Every hair on her body was yelling in need. “yes! Anythi- AH!”

Again he nipped her ear, this time a bit harder than the last. Her toes curled in response. Above her he whispered softly, seductively, sweetly into her ear. "I want to knot you.”

She froze, every muscle in her body going stiff. Knot her? He wanted to knot her? He'd seemed so nervous about it the first time they'd been together. What had-

She groaned, almost painfully as he felt the hand on her waist toy with the waistband of her pants. Above her he purred hungrily. "I want to knot you. To feel you squirm and shudder as I fill you with my seed and then lock you in place so you can't get away. I want you to know that if you were a fox, you'd be having my kits. And then…” he leaned in closer, making her face burn as she felt his teeth brush along her ear toyingly. "I want you to thank me for it. Thank the big bad fox for knotting you and making you HIS.”

As he spoke the last words his claws came out, pressing firmly against her fur and skin. She was going to explode. Everything he'd just said was so incredibly impossibly embarrassing and perverted and twisted on so many levels. Yet as she lay there, pinned beneath him, completely at his mercy and half drunk on her own want, she'd never wanted to do something this badly in her entire life. The flames inside her roared at the idea, making her shake with need, her loins growing hotter by the second as she replayed what he had said in her mind. She-

"Nnn-AHHHHHH!” her head snapped back and her toes curled again as she felt the hand on her hips roughly grip her pants, pushing them down exposing her to him. A split second later she felt one of his fingers slip inside her, her insides clamping down on the digit instantly. She squirmed against him, the feeling of his finger slipping deeper and deeper inside her making her feel helpless but at the same time-

"N-n-n-Nick!”

she gasped, the breath exploding from her lungs. The feeling of his finger sending bolts of lightning through her brain, making fireworks go off in her eyes. Above him he smirked down at her. “you know Carrots… I cannot tell you how much it turns me on when you say my name. Say it again. PLEASE.”

As Nick spoke his fingers shifted, slowly withdrawing before thrusting them back inside her. Her hips jerked, struggling against his weight as the flash of pleasure made her yelp and gasp. "Nick!”

Above her he grinned. “yeeees. Just like that. Sooooooooo sexy Carrots.”

As he spoke he repeated the movement, thrusting his finger in and out of her. The sound of her moans was amazing, making his fur prickle and tingle as he did it again. Gods the sound of her moaning was like a drug to him. He wanted more. He NEEDED more. He leaned down while thrusting his fingers again, enjoying the closer sound of her moans. He could feel her body reacting, his fingers slickening with her juices while her scent changed, becoming musky and feral. “someone's getting horny. Could it be the innocent bunny is excited to be knotted by the big bad fox?”

Excited was an understatement. He could practically feel the want rolling off her. It changed her, making her scent sweaty, musky; while her body struggled against him. He smirked at her, slowly sliding off her while keeping his finger deep inside her sex. Free from his weight she moved, her hips jerking up against his hand making her gasp and moan in pleasure. He adjusted himself laying next to her, watching her as she moaned and arched; her wants taking over as she bucked and thrust against his fingers. “thats it Carrots. Enjoy yourself. I know I will.”

He slipped his finger deeper inside her, making Judy gasp. Her back arched and her paws strained against his continued grip. Her hips bucked and jerked, almost frantically humping against his hand in desperate need of release. He watched her, a feeling of power rushing through him. Suddenly he withdrew his finger, completely removing it from her body in a single fast move. Instantly she let out a loud whimpering whine, her hips jerking against the air and the sudden loss of pleasure. She half gasped, half whimpered at him. "N-Nick!”

He grinned at her as she looked at him wantonly. “you said this was about me Carrots. So…” he leaned in, playfully clawing at her chest making her gasp. "I think it's time you strip me. It's only fair since you're nude.”

He watched as she bit her lip, clearly desperate for release. He grinned at her. “strip me Carrots. that's an order.” He smirked at her, gripping her hips before lifting her and setting her on his hips. To tease her he bucked his hips, making the rough jean fabric brush and rub against her exposed mounds. He smirked as she gasped and moaned, for a moment freezing as pleasure ripped through her "N-no fair.”

He stretched out, his paws going behind his head. “all's fair in love and war. Now strip me, shirt first.” slowly she crawled forward, doing as he'd instructed and starting to undo the buttons on his shirt. As she did so his toned cream colored stomach and chest came into view, making her groan in wanted mentally.  _ Look at him. Gods the academy made him into a hunk.  _ It was true. He'd been fit before the academy, true. But not in the way he was now. His stomach was flat and muscled, his chest equally buff. And as she ran her paws over his stomach she could feel his abdominal muscles flex and shudder in response.

This time it was his turn to groan, the feeling of her paws sending little ghosts of pleasure and anticipation racing through his body. “mmmmm.”

She smiled down at him, repeating the movement of running her paws over his abs and stomach. “like that?” He nodded  and she repeated the movement enjoying the louder groan it got her before returning to the buttons of his shirt. Part of her just wanted to rip his shirt off and not even bother with the buttons. But she resisted that urge, not wanting to ruin his clothes. Soon enough his shirt was completely unbuttoned, exposing his torso to her, making her bit her lip as she looked at him.  _ Damn he's hot. _

He seemed to know what she was thinking. “for shame officer hopps. Thinking of your partner in such an unprofessional way.”

She chuckled, her paws slowly running through his chest fur and fluff. "I can't help it. He's just so sexy.”

He chuckled up at her. “well then-”

Suddenly he grabbed her arms, dragging her closer to him before bringing their lips together a moment later. The kiss was rougher, wild, More aggressive than the ones they'd shared before. Unlike before he didn't ‘ask’ permission, his tongue simply invaded her mouth, roughly claiming it for himself.  _ Damn, this is kinda fun. _ It was true. He was so used to being careful. No reason to give anyone a chance to accuse him of being a dangerous predator. But now…

He growled into the kiss, a low deep growl that made his chest vibrate and his fur prickle. He felt her react, her body stiffening while her scent became tinged with the smallest smell of fear. He pulled away from her, growling again. “still not naked rabbit. Do I need to PUNISH you?” as he said that word his hand moved. Playfully striking Judy's rump making her gasp and jerk. He smirked at her embarrassed expression. He was  **definitely** enjoying this. And if her scent was anything to go on, so was she. 

She moved, sliding down his body to his hips and starting to undo the button on his pants. There was no mistaking the rather sizable bulge that had formed. A faint wave of pride rushed through her at the knowledge that she was making him feel this way. In truth she was… fuck there was no other way to say it. She was LOVING this. She'd expect him to be a little tougher, maybe a few more growls and purrs than before. But this… this possessive dominant predator side that she was seeing for the first time…

When he struck her rump she'd startled sure, mostly out of surprise. But that had instantly turned to a burning hot want. Even as she worked to pull down the rough thick jean material of his pants; she could feel his eyes on her. Watching her, making sure she was following his order. She bit her lip as she finally managed to drag his pants down. He was still in his underwear true, but without the thicker material of his pants his musky sweaty arousing scent was stronger. Unconsciously her nose twitched, taking in as much of that intoxicating scent as she could. From where he lay Nick chuckled. “enjoying the smell?”

She squirmed a little but nodded. It was the truth. She was enjoying it, very much so. It did something to her. It reached into some primal part of her deep deep down. Her mind flashing back to their first night together. To when she'd first smelled his scent like this. She groaned, feeling her insides squirm with desire. Her sex felt like it was on fire, tingling and throbbing in a way that was almost desperate for attention.  For a moment she considered just ripping his underwear off and slamming down onto him. She was pretty sure he wouldn't mind. Her insides squirmed and burned with desire. she sure as he-

She yelped as his hand again connected with her rump. “pervy bunny. What are you thinking that has you so turned on?” She felt her face flush with embarrassment. Of course he'd be able to smell her change in arousal. She couldn't hide anything from him. Behind her he growled playfully. "Now my underwear Carrots.”

She obediently moved, pushing her underwear down; biting her lip as his foxhood sprang free maybe less than an inch from her face.  _ Gods… the smell…. _

It was almost mind altering. Musky and sweaty, somehow managing to make her body almost physically ache with want. It was almost hypnotic as she found herself moving closer to it, her nose twitching eagerly. Behind her he spoke. “touch it.”

She didn't have to be told twice, she pressed forward her paws running along his length. Gods he was warm, almost hot to the touch. Under her fingers the warm flesh throbbed, pulsing in want. Gods she felt almost lightheaded. Before she could stop herself she'd learned in, her nose brushing lightly against the side of his shaft as she-

“Mmmm.” the moan was soft but deep, his eyes fluttering slightly as the feeling of her tongue reached his brain. “a-ag-mmmmm.”

He had to bite his lip, his head rolling back slightly as she did so again without even being told. It felt good, really good. Her tongue was warm and wet as it ran along his length. Her paws were moving too squeezing and massaging the bulb at his base. Gods it was… indescribable. He bit his lip, trying to resist the pleasure that was slowly growing inside him. He wanted to savor this, to enjoy the feeling of he-

“AHHHH!” He gasped, his stomach tensing as the breath was forced from his lungs. “ahhh- c-ca-ahhhhh!” he gasped again. The feeling of her tongue running along the tip of his foxhood making his shake. "N-n-no f- fair…”

She chuckled. “oh? And what are you gonna do about it?” as she spoke she again ran her tongue over his tip, allowing it to flatten out and run across even more of his sensitive skin. His response was to gasp and growl loudly. A second later he grabbed her his claws pressing against her skin as he dragged her backwards until his breath was ghosting against your neck. 

“really poking the fox here Carrots.”

She grinned, unable to resist. “awww. And here I was hoping you'd be doing the poking.”

He chuckled softly.  “oh I will, I promise.” he shifted his now fully erect warm organ coming to rest between her legs just under her entrance. She groaned softly, the feeling of warmth coming from him made her body ache and-

“touch yourself Carrots.” as he spoke one of his paws gripped her wrist, guiding the hand down until her fingers brushed against her sex. She felt her face burn with embarrassment as she found that she was slick with want. 

She squirmed slightly with embarrassment. "I... I... NAAAAAA!”

she gasped. Her head rolling back to press against his shoulder as he brought her fingers down to run along her entrance. “touch yourself Carrots. NOW” his voice made her shudder, so commanding and dominate, that she had no choice but to-

"Naaaa nnnnaaaaaa.” she panted. Gasping softly as her fingers brushing against her folds. Gods she was so wet to the touch, wetter than she usually was when she touched herself. Behind her Nick leaned in, whispering softly his teeth brushing against her ears. 

“thats its Carrots. Just like that. You can't imagine how hot this is. How badly it makes me want to grab you and FUCK. YOU.” his words sent shivers through her body. Her fingers moved on their own, slipping inside her to stroke herself faster and faster.

“ahhh ahhh ahhh n-n-ni- AHHH.”

He nipped her ears, sending a decadent ripple racing up her spine. “think of about Carrots. About my COCK,” he growled the word into her ear making her face tingle with arousal and embarrassment and just how arousing it was. “think about it inside you. Thrusting in and out of you. Making you pant and moan and beg.” Oh gods her foot was starting to thump the mattress, something it only ever did when she was REALLY turned on. Her fingers sped up, making her gasp and shudder, her head pressing harder against his shoulder as the pleasure grew. Still he continued to whisper. "I'm gonna breed you Carrots. I'm gonna fuck you until your insides are flooded with my seed and then i'm gonna knot you so you can't escape.” he leaning in closer. More of his teeth brushing along her ears making her gasp as her fingers sped up again. "I want you to have my kits Carrots.” Her hips jerked, bucking up into her fingers at the sudden rush of…

"N-Nick… ple-please… I n-ne-”

He silenced her with a finger to her lips.  "I mean it Carrots. I'm not going to stop until you have my kits. Even if that means we're in here all night and your whole family hears us.”

Oh gods her foot thumped harder against the mattress, her hips thrusting up into her fingers as a fresh wave of juices flowed from inside her. Gods she'd never been this turned on, even when she and Nick had first been together. This was something more, more than lust, more than need or want. This… this was carnal… primal… it made her whisper loudly her mind filling with images of her and Nick. She bit her lip, her arousal growing as she imagined it. Him and her locked together, grunting and panting and rutting like wild animals. She knew kits were impossible between them, their DNA was just way to different. Even if they took fertility drugs. But… the idea of him and her… making kits…

Her breaths were coming in deep ragged pants now. Her fingers rapidly stroked and thrust inside her making her foot thumb the mattress furiously.  She could feel it against her hips, his foxhood. Warm, throbbing, ready to breed her for hours. Gods she wanted it so badly it almost hurt. she-

Suddenly he moved, grabbing his wrists before pulling them back. Her finger slipped free of her body making her gasp and whimper loudly. Her hips thrust against the air, her insides suddenly furious at the loss of contact. Behind her Nick growled. "Now Carrots, listen very closely.” She felt him lean in, his teeth brushing against the back of her neck making her body freeze but her heart almost explode in her chest. After a moment he chuckled. “are you listening?”

She willed herself to move. Fighting against her natural instinct to stay still as she nodded. “y-yes!”

He chuckled. “good. Now then,” he let out another one of those low threatening growls. “sit your cute fluffy bunny muff on my cock and start bouncing.” 

She felt like her skin was about to burst into flames, even her ears were burning with embarrassment at what he'd said. And yet… as embarrassing and perverted as what he said was. she found herself moving shakily getting to her knees and crawling forward. She bit her lip an impossibly decadent wasting shudder rolling through her as his foxhood trailed along her stomach and hips until…

“gah!”

She gasped as she his hand come up and grip her tail firmly. She bit her lip, looking back at him. He was smirking at her, and with a jolt she found she knew what he was going to do and it only turned her on more. He waited till she was in position, the tip of his foxhood brushing between legs and against her entrance before-

The twin groans of pleasure shook the walls of the room. For Judy it was something primal almost feral. Pain rippled through the pleasure, making his gasp and pant as he used his grip on her tail to drag her back onto his organ. She gasped and shook as she felt it fill her, so warm it felt almost hot and so big it felt like it would split her in two; and yet somehow managing to feel like it had been handcrafted for her. Her paws clenched into fits, making him grunt slightly as she tugged weakly at the fur on his legs. Gods it felt… beyond words… he was being so rough and dominant… so forceful. It was so out of character for him but at the same time such an impossible turn on. He was halfway inside her now and she already could feel the faint echoes of an orgasm starting to form, making her toes curl and her breath shake in her chest.

For Nick it was a feeling of power, of control. Something he rarely felt in his life. He growled and purred. savoring the feeling as he pulled her backwards, slipping more and more of his organ into her. Gods she felt addictively good. Her body was squeezing and pulsing around him, the feeling of slickness making it very hard to resist just slamming into her. Each gasp, pant, moan and whimper reached into him and pulled at something feral and carnal inside her. He'd been mostly playing before, bringing up kits mostly just to embarrass her and make her blush. But now…

_ F-F-FUCK IT! _

With a rough jerk he pulled her backwards, the last two inches including his bulb vanishing inside her in an aggressive panting growl. Gods it was glorious. Her insides clamped down around him. Squeezing him so tightly he felt like he might explode right then and th-

He didn't even have to order her to move. she did it on her own. Her grip on his legs tightening a bit as she began to rock and thrust her hips, riding him. He groaned deeply, a low rumbling carnal groan while his paws ran along her back, her sides, before settling on her hips. Gods she felt so good. Each thrust and rock making a bigger and bigger firework burst in front of his vision. He lay back, allowing his head to rest against the bank of pillows at the top of her bed. He wanted to savor this, all of it; every detail about this. Not just the feelings of power and control, But her as well. The way her fingers tightened on his leg fur as she dropped herself back down onto him. The way she moaningly whimpered as her hips lifted back up. How her body shook in his grip. The way she was panting. Even their smells which were mixing in the air, Filling the room with a kind of flowery sweet musk that made him-

His grip on her hips tightened, his claws pressing lightly against her skin as he urged her to move just a little faster. She obliged, their hips meeting his in a faster rhythm that made them both moan needily. He was forcing himself to breath slowly, to try and keep his cool for as long as possible. He wanted this to last, to feel this connection with her for as long as he could. It felt like he was floating almost, suspended in a sea of pleasure and her that he never wanted to leave. He squeezed her hips, savoring the feelings of how she shook as his claws pressed against her skin. He could hear her panting, her breaths coming in rough and ragged bursts that told him she was close. Dimly one last way to dominate her came to mind, one last command for her to obey.  _ She did say this was about ME after all. _

He took a deep breath, slowly sitting up so he could speak behind her. “how does it feel Carrots? Does my cock make you feel good?” Her response was to moan and nod her head almost frantically. He smirked at her back, his paws moving. Making her hips buck and rise a little faster. “say it Carrots.”

She groaned again him, her voice cracking and shaking as she managed to gasp out. “y-y-yes!”

He grinned, his paws again making her move along his length a bit faster. He bit his lip as he did so, trying to fight back the waves of pleasure rocking and churning his body. "I'm going to knot you Judy. I'm going to fill you with my HOT. STICKY. SEED,” with those words he brought her crashing down against him, slamming his entire foxhood in and out of her as he spoke. “and then i'm going to knot you. You're mine.”

 

He growled as he spoke, making sure she knew he was serious. He felt her insides clamp down around his organ and for a moment he teetered on that razors edge between mind numbing blissful pleasure and the feeling of control and power he had over her right then. He bit his lip again, forcing the increasingly hot explosion of pleasure in his stomach to remain controlled. He could tell she was close to her orgasm too.  The way she was panting and shaking there was no way she couldn't be. Her entire body was trembling and the sound she was making were barely understandable. He leaned in closer, allowing his teeth to run along the base of one of her ears. He'd always known her ears were sensitive, and if he was right…

It started as a shiver. A decadent, forbidden, twisted, wrong on so many levels shiver as she felt his teeth brush against her ear. It rushed through her body, taking her barely controlled pleasure and sending it into overdrive. It was to much. It was all to much. She sched for him. Physically ached with her need to have him do as he said he would. to fill her with his seed and to knot her. She needed it, NEEDED it. She felt out of control, her hips moved on their own riding his foxhood up and down at a pace that had her struggling to breath. Her head swam in a sea of pleasure, arousal, lust and need. Inside her stomach a burning raging inferno lapped and roared at her insides. But as that shiver rolled through her body, everything came crashing down around her as she reached her limit.

He pulled her backwards, pressing her against his chest as he felt her orgasm start. He groaned, pressing his nose and mouth into her ear as her insides contracted, squeezing and writhing around his organ as if trying to milk it. A moment later his own orgasm started. His tail lashing back and forth while his toes clenched out of reflex. It was different from the first time they'd slept together. That orgasm had been like a bomb going off. A blinding flash of pleasure and heat that had left him twitching and exhausted afterwards. This one… it was more like a kind warmth. The deep burning cindering heat in his stomach exploded, sending lashes of fire and heat racing through his body. His body moved on its own, his hips thrusting and grinding up against her, trying to get as deep as possible inside her body. In his arms he could feel her shaking, her paws had come up and grabbed onto one of his arms and were now squeezing as gripping his fur so tightly he could feel hair being pulled out. 

But he ignored the discomfort instinct taking over as he suddenly hunched forward pressing against her back. Forcing her downwards against his hips as he twitched and spasmed and erupted inside her. Gods he felt like he was going to pass out. Never in his life had he climaxed this hard. Every nerve, every muscle, every hair in his body thrumming and shaking with pleasure as-

Then a new sensation, one that made his toes curl and a deep moaning purr vibrate his chest. The familiar tingles at the base of his foxhood had started. Again he pushed her down, his hips pressing up into her desperate to be as far inside her as he could be. She squirmed slightly and it sent a jolt through him. He growled, his mouth going to the scruff of her neck, His teeth nipped at it making her jolt and freeze. Gods it felt like she was getting tighter around him. Her beautifully perfect body finding itself locked against him. In his grip she let out a soft moaning hum. It reached into him. Cut through the feral animalistic possessiveness and…

He kissed her, turning her head with his hand before kissing her in a sloppy half exhausted half spent kiss that still managed to send shudders through both their bodies. He wanted the kiss to last forever, for THIS to last forever. He'd never felt this close to anyone before. It was like she was a part of him now. Like…

His paws moved on their own. Going to her stomach. Gently running along the fur there as another soft purr made his chest shake. He knew it was impossible. But in that moment he didn't care. All he could think of was her. Her tummy swollen, a beautiful loving glow around her as she carried his kits inside her. 

"Nick….” gods her voice was beautiful. It sent a shiver through him and made him hold her tighter. “th-thank you.”

Gods he loved her so much. It welled up inside him. A fresh bloom of warmth in his chest that made him plant kisses along her shoulders and neck before whispering softly into her ear. He could feel himself locked inside her, throbbing and pulsing; a feeling of deep connection filling him. “your welcome Carrots.”

She had him. He may have locked her with his knot, but she'd stolen his heart. She could do anything with it. She could cherish it like a great treasure or a dime store bauble and he wouldn't have cared. So long as he could have this, this feeling of closeness and connection and intimacy. He needed her, needed her like he needed air or water or the sun. She was his everything. And as they both panted and shook, locked against each other; he knew she felt the same way. She was his everything.  And he was hers. 

And nothing could ever possibly change that. 

"I love you.”

"I love you too.”


	13. About Time

The harvest festival was incredible. Just as Judy had said the entire town joined in. The streets were cordoned off, strings of lights glowed above them for like thousands of electric stars. Music seemed to softly waft at them from almost every direction. But it was the smells that hit him the most. The scents of bread, pastries, and hundreds of other confections mixing in the air into an irresistible aroma that made his mouth water as his nose twitched. Next to him Judy smiled. “welcome to your first harvest fair Nick.”

He smiled at her, gently bumping her with his hip. “thanks carrots.” a second later he offered her his arm. “shall we?”

She smiled and took his arm. “we shall.”

Smiling they both slowly moved through the illuminated streets of bunnyburrows. All around them people were laughing and having fun. Men and women danced to the tune of musicians who played for them, the crowds all turning in time with the music. Looking around as they walked Nick continuously found his eyes drawn back to the bunny next to him. She wasn't wearing anything super extraordinary. A simple blue and white checkered dress with a green bandana around her head, with her ears held back with a small weighted wrap. It was a simple look, and yet… it took his breath away. It was a complete departure from the usual city clothes she wore. She must have noticed him staring at her because she playfully bumped him as they walked through the streets. “see something you like?”

He nodded. “very much so. You should dress like that more often.”

She looked down at her outfit. “really? I always feel so strange when I dress like this. Doesn't feel like me. I mean, I hardly ever wear dresses normally.” 

Nick nodded. That was true. He could count the number of times he'd seen her wear a dress before on one hand. He moved, his hand drifting down to take hers. “well I think maybe you should wear them a little more often. Cause you look beautiful in them.” as he spoke he gave her hand a soft squeeze.

A second later she squeezed his back. “what about you? You look rather Studly in that outfit.“

He chuckled. His clothing choices had been a tad more limited than hers. But he'd managed to find a nice, if slightly wrinkled button up shirt and a pair of nice jeans in his duffle bag. “so what did you wanna do first? Dancing? Food? Stroll around the wonderful moonlit night?” he lowered his voice into a sensual purr. “maybe have a repeat of what happened in your bedroom earlier?”

He grinned as she spluttered a bit at that last one. "I… oh gosh, Nick.”

He couldn't help it. He chuckled. “hehehehe you said that lots too.”

He laughed. Louder this time as her hand left his, moving to pull her ears down over her face with embarrassment. He bumped her again with his hip. “don't be embarrassed, I liked how you looked. All panting and needy to have my kits. Very sexy.”

She whined again and he laughed.  

“Judy!”

The sound of male voice rang out, making them turn in the direction it had come from. Nick stepped aside slightly, allowing the grey and black rabbit running at them to pull Judy into a tight hug. As he did so Nick noted the rabbit was not alone, a tall lean but muscular bobcat trailing behind him. Judy gasped, rushing forward to return the rabbit's hug. “Gregg! Oh my gosh I had no idea you were here!”

Nick's eyes widened slightly. So this was Gregg? The other rabbit in Judy's family who had a thing for predators. He looked to the bobcat who had stopped a little ways away and was watching them. After a moment Gregg and Judy broke apart. “we only just got in a few hours ago. And…” Nick watch Gregg’s eyes drifted onto him. “and who is this charming fox?”

Nick fidgeted slightly. They hadn't really discussed what to say if people asked about them. Deciding to follow Judy's lead he remained silent as she spoke. “this is Nick Wilde. He's my partner in the ZPD.”

Gregg grinned, Moving towards him while offering his hand to shake. “thanks for watching my cousin's back.”

He nodded. Shaking the rabbit's hand for a moment. Gregg gestured to the bobcat who stepped forward to shake his hand too. “this is Justin, my boyfriend.” he gripped Justin's paw, shaking it politely. “hello.”

The bobcat nodded. “hello...” There was more to their simple exchange however than just greetings. He could see it in the bobcat's eyes. The silent question asked as his blue eyes flickered to Judy and then back to Nick. In response Nick nodded, a small nod; undetectable by anyone who wasn't looking for it but clear as day to the bobcat who smiled after a moment. "Its nice to meet you.”

Nick smiled back, releasing the Justin's hand. “likewise. Judy told me a little about you.”

Next to Justin Gregg grinned. “all lies I can assure you.”

Nick grinned back. “oh? So you're not her favorite cousin and a complete gentleman?”

This time it was Justin who laughed. “gentleman? Not at all. But…” Nick watched as the larger bobcat picked his boyfriend up, giving him a quick peck on the head. “definitely a keeper.”

Judy smiled. "I feel the same way.” as she spoke she shifted, her paw coming up to hold Nicks tenderly 

Gregg's eyes widened a bit as he looked at their interwound paws. “Judy… is he…” 

Just nodded. “my b-boyfriend. Yeah.”

It was such a simple thing for her to say and yet… it made such a feeling of warmth bloom in his chest. As if saying to someone else made it official. He bit his lip, inhaling a bit sharper than he normally would have. He watched as Gregg's face split into a smile. “well then, enjoy the festival you two love birds.”

Both he and Judy nodded. “we certainly will.”

 

\-------

 

The smells wafting through the town were incredible. As they wandered the streets Nick found he could smell cooked corn on the cob, toasted apples, a dozen or so carrot dishes that made even his mouth water, caramelized fruits and berries. And pie, sweet lion christ the smell of pie was almost overwhelming. The banquet of food had been setup in the center of town, laid out under a long tent that snaked around the open space of the town square. His eyes widened at the array of food set out, all of it first come first serve and free of charge. He'd have killed to know about this when he'd been a cub. He would have paid for his mom and he to come to this every year if he'd known this had been happening. Hell he'd have picked her up and carried her on his back. Loading up his plate he watched as Judy did the same, both of them assembling a small feast before carefully making their way from the tent and over to a large tree and sitting down under it and starting to eat.

A seemingly impossible short time later their plates were empty, making Nick groan as he slowly leaned back against the trunk of the tree. Gods… the food had been AMAZING. Easily some of the best he'd ever had. “sooo full.”

As if to prove his point he felt his body tense as a loud belch erupted from him a second later.  Next to him Judy giggled. The sky above them had darkened, making the twinkling stars appear brighter and clearer. All around them the sounds of music, laughter, dancing the merriment echoed. Part of him wanted to get uo and explore more, but another part of him wanted to stay like this a bit longer. to-

He felt Judy tug on his shoulder, gently pulling him sideways until his head was resting in her lap. He'd been about to speak when he froze, the feeling of her fingers running through the fur between his ears making his resistance to the move, vanish. He groaned softly, looking up at her, their eyes connecting. "I love you Nick Wilde.”

No matter how many times she said it, his heart always fluttered when those words reached him. He shifted a bit, tilting his head up to kiss the hand stroking his head. "I love you more Judy.” She smiled down at him lovingly. The faint sound of a few whispers making Nick blink. "I… we should-”

But she silenced him with a finger to his lips. Her own coming down to press against him in a soft sweet kiss that was very clearly NOT platonic to anyone who had seen it. The kiss was soft and warm, somehow managing to steal his breath away until the very last second. And as they broke apart he found himself in a small daze looking up at her. Above him Judy spoke softly, a small smile covering her face. "I wanna tell my parents about us.”

His eyes widened. On the train she'd seemed so nervous. They'd only just…

“ar-are you sure?”

She nodded, continuing to smile as she ran her fingers through his fur. "I… I never expected to find someone like you Nick. You push me. Not always when I want it, but when I need it. You challenge me and you make me so soooo happy. Even happier than the day I graduated and became an officer. before this, you would be the first thought when I woke up and the last thought before I went to bed. And… and if this case has shown me anything… it's how fragile something like this is. How it can so easily break and fall apart.” he bit his lip. His eyes widening a little as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "I want the world to see you Nick. To see the kind, loving, helpful, good fox you are. But… I want my parents to see it first.  I want them to know… “ more tears were forming now, but still she spoke. “how important you are to me. How happy you make me. H-how… how….”

Her voice broke off as her throat constricted with emotion. She could feel it inside her, the warm heat that she always felt when they were this close. That same warm heat threaten her, pushing the teats in her eyes to trickle down her cheeks and-

“carrots…” she bit her lip, blinking through her tears as she looked at him. Gods he was so beautiful. The fox of her dreams in every way. He'd moved, and now was sitting up and looking at her.  Even as she tried to regain her normal breathing he reached out, gently cupping the side of her face as he wiped away the tears. “ok. Let's tell them.”

It was like her heart was a bird. One that had been cramped and caged before but now had broke free and was soaring into the skies. He choked slightly, the sudden rush of emotions making her throat constrict even more. In front of her Nick moved, pulling her against him softly. She could hear people muttering and whispering, no doubt the small town would be buzzing tomorrow about the rabbit and fox that had acted so intimately the night before. She might have cared before. Perhaps even a week ago those whispers and mutterings might have been enough to make her break the contact she and he were sharing. But now, now she couldn't care less. The last few days had been a rollercoaster. Between the case, their confessing to each other, the sudden knowledge about his childhood, and then having come face to face with one of those responsible for his hardships; what could possibly happen next? She didn't know, but…

He took a deep breath, willing the oddly raw stew of emotions inside her to calm. After several moments she managed to Stutter out, "I… I l-love you Nick.”

She felt him squeeze her body, a way gentle loving squeeze that filled her with a sense of safety and security. "I love you to Judy.”

Those words, those beautiful angelicly perfect words. They made her heart a little faster, her body move a little closer to his, and her tail twitching happily. They filled her with such joy and happiness that she felt like she could burst. For several moments she hugged him tightly, the feeling of his body heat keeping her warm in the cool night air, while his scent filled her lungs. After a few moments they broke apart and he smiled at her. “come on. Let's go find your family.”

She smiled nervously back at him, slowly getting to her feet as he did. Moving to leave the spot they'd been sitting she found that several people were staring at them, so of the. with less than curious looks. To them Nick half growled, “what are you looking at?” She smiled as those people scurried away.  _ Yeah, run you jerks.  _ He looked at her as she dusted off her dress. “any idea where your parents are?”

She smiled at him, her hand slipping into his. “no idea.”

For a moment he looked at her uncertainly, before a smile spread across his face. “well then, I suppose we'll have to walk all around the town in front of everyone while we look for them.”

She smiled wider at him. “that sounds like a great plan.”

He grinned wider at her, squeezing her paw softly. “well then, let's go.”

 

\--------

 

It was exhilarating, walking around the town paw in paw with each other. She wasn't sure what she'd expected. Maybe something between people applauding them in the street and chasing them with torches and pitchforks? Neither happened of course. Most people seemed completely oblivious to their connection. She did see a few people eyes widen, and a few pointed and whispered to their friends as they passed. A few smiled pleasantly at her and him and a few seemed to genuinely beam at them. They hadn't become superheroes. But neither had they become villains, they were just two mammals. Two mammals in love, walking paw and in paw through the town, looking for her parents. An hour into searching they found then; just where she'd known they'd be. 

The tent was filled with music and laughter as kids danced and played. Her mom and dad had always looked after the younger kids during the festival, giving the kids parents a time to relax and be alone. Pausing just outside the tent bit her lip, looking to Nick who looked back at her. “r-ready?”

She nodded and it was the truth. She WAS ready. Ready to march into the tent and tell her mom and dad that she was with Nick, they were happy together and that they loved each other. She squeezed his paw tightly, feeling him return the squeeze after a moment. “ok, let's g-”

He pulled her sideways, out of the entrance to the tent and off to the side. Shadows fell over them, making her feel dark and hidden away as he moved. The feeling of his lips against her was magic angelic perfection. The kiss tender and sweet, not lustful but still passionate even if it only lasted a few seconds. When they broke apart he smiled at her. “no matter what Judy, I love you.”

She bit her lip, a mushy romantic smile flickering across her face as her heart swelled and beat a little faster in his chest. Gods he knew just what to do to make her happy. "I love you too Nick.” they stayed like that a moment later, hidden in the shadows while bathed in their own romantic loving light. But soon they were moving again, stepping into the tent and calling to her parents. Letting go of Judy's hand Nick smiled as she bounded forward, pulling her parents into twin hugs while he hung back just a little bit. They weren't the only adults in the tent, he could see a few more sets of rabbit parents, as well as a few gophers and even a squirrel all of them helping to watch the kids in the tent. 

“mom, dad… i… we,” that was his cue. He moved in closer to her, smiling at Stu and Bonnie who smiled back politely before looking back to Judy as she continued. Next to him Judy took a deep breath. “Nick and i… have something we wanna… tell you.”

He watched as again her parents eyes flickered to him before back to her. “what is it sweety?”

He stepped in a little closer, his paw dipping down, brushing against hers if she wanted it. She did it seemed, as her paw wound into his. “Nick and i… are together… now… as a couple...”

And there it was. She'd said it, they knew. And now they could do nothing bu-

“oh… is that all hun?”

_ Wait… what? _ He blinked at Bonnie, Judy doing the same as the older female rabbit looked between then. That was certainly not the reaction they'd expected. After a few moment Judy managed to stammer out a few words. “wh-what? Thats a-all?”

Next to Bonnie, Stu rolled his eyes. “cheese and crackers pumpkin, your room isn't soundproof. And neither of you were being exactly… subtle… what you two were doing in there. We had to turn up the tv in order to drown you both out.” 

Bonnie nodded in agreement. “and you didn't even shower afterwards. We could smell you from down the hallway.” she looked to Nick. “you have a very strong scent you know.”

Nick felt like his ears and face had burst into flames. His brain had frozen, locked on what Stu had said. Judy's room wasn't soundproof, And they had been… rather loud… therefore… her family…. had heard… them… while they… had…

_ OH DEAR LION CHRIST! _

Next to her Judy seemed to have frozen too. He swore he could almost feel the heat radiating from her ears as she stammered and spluttered trying to say something. In front of them Bonnie smiled warmly at them. “But we're glad you both told us. Thank you. We're both super happy for you.”

After a few seconds Stu looked to him. “there is something I wanna say to you though Mr Wilde.” he swallowed nervously but nodded. Across from him Stu gave him a stern look before pointing to Judy. "I may have 31 other daughters, but jude here is special. So if you hurt her; make her cry, break her heart, even scratch her arm,” Stu's finger turned to point at Nick threateningly. “And i'll feed you your own tail. Got it?”

He nodded quickly. “Y-yes sir! I… I wouldn't…” he looked at Judy for a moment. Gathering his thoughts. "I'd never do anything to hurt her. I love her.”

A moment later Stu and Bonnie smiled at them. “good. Then you have my blessing to date my daughter.”

He blinked, honestly taken aback by how casual and friendly they were being at the news. He’d know.... Well hoped they’d take it well. But never in his wildest dreams had he expected them to handle it this well. Next to him Judy looked between her parents. “you… you're really… ok with it?”

Bonnie nodded. “Yes hun. So long as you're happy.”

He felt her move, turning to look up at him. He did the same, looking down at her. Their eyes connecting silently. “We are.”

As she spoke he squeezed her paw. His heart fluttered again as she squeezed his back.

“then that's all that matters, isn't it?”

 

\--------

 

Slowly they both moved in time with the music. Their height had made dancing a little tricky, but he'd fixed that by lift her up in his arms. That had gotten them a few stares and whispers. But none of that mattered to him, not in the slightest. The music was soft a low, a romantic gentle tune that had her and he slowly stepping and spinning like something out of a fairy tail. “this… feel different… from what we've been doing before...I mean.”

He smiled at her words. “yeah… like its a chapter from another story.”

Gently he spun them. Making the world around them fade away into an scene of streaming swirling lights and colors. “maybe the author wanted to add a little romance to this murder mystery he's been writing?”

Her words made him grin. “maybe. Or maybe he's just a sap for romantic moonlit dances.”

She grinned back at him, chuckling softly. "Well, no matter what the reason. I love you Nick Wilde. More than anything in this world.”

His heart fluttered at those words, making him stop spinning. He held her close, feeling her against him. "I love you more Judy Hopps. More than anything.”

The kiss was soft and tender. A kiss shared by two mammals so deeply in love that nothing else could possibly mattered. There were more whispers now, but they didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing except him and her together. No matter what came next, so long as they were together they could overcome it.

Fuck the world.

Fuck society.

Fuck the ‘rules’.

They loved each other. That was the only rule that mattered to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well folks, we are now updated and back to the point of the story that we were at before someone broke in and deleted my old profile.
> 
> the next chapter is almost done and in the mean time i have some super cool news.
> 
> HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF IF YOU LET IT IS GOING TO BE GETTING ITS OWN AUDIO DRAMA!  
> i was contacted by a group of fans and we're currently working on the first episode.   
> the story will be tweaked slightly to make it appropriate for youtube; but im SUPER excited about this.  
> The people producing it are called "WildeHeart Productions" they already have a youtube channel setup
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rhgzyDoDHSHYKcq5ODTWw?view_as=public
> 
> be sure to go and follow them if you wanna be kept up to date and notified when the first episode is posted!


	14. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BRAND NEW CHAPTER FOLKS
> 
> Also for those of you who didnt seem the announcement at the end of the last chapter
> 
> HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF IF YOU LET IT IS GOING TO BE GETTING ITS OWN AUDIO DRAMA!  
> i was contacted by a group of fans and we're currently working on the first episode.  
> the story will be tweaked slightly to make it appropriate for youtube; but im SUPER excited about this.  
> The people producing it are called "WildeHeart Productions" they already have a youtube channel setup
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rhgzyDoDHSHYKcq5ODTWw?view_as=public
> 
> be sure to go and follow them if you wanna be kept up to date and notified when the first episode is posted!

“you lied to us Mr Dawson.”

Judy's tone was calm and cool. Just as she'd been trained to keep it when confronting a suspect. In front of her she watched as the elderly coyote looked at her curiously. Next to her Nick remained silent, watching him. They were back in the station, in full uniform and authority. They'd called Mr Dawson down, saying they wished to speak with him. When he'd arrived they'd led him here, to one of the interview rooms.

Judy watched as Mr Dawson cocked his head slightly. “oh? About what Detective.”

Judy’s eyes narrowed slightly but her voice remained calm. “you didn't tell us YOU were the last person to see Jack alive the night he was murdered. Or the part where you were harboring romantic feelings for him that he didn't share. AND the part where Jack may or may not have been working for the mob.”

Across from them Nick and Judy both watched as the coyote sighed softly before chuckling. "I see hellina is still as much the gossip now as she was in her youth.”

Next to her Nick spoke. “you asked us to solve your friends murder Mr Dawson. But we can't do that if you're lying to us.”

Again they both watched as Dawson moved, his shoulders slumping slightly as the coyote nodded. "I did ask that of you. And for that I apologize detectives. I hope you believe me when I say. I didn't do it out of nefarious intent. I just… I did it… out of loyalty.”

Judy raised an eyebrow. “loyalty?”

Dawson nodded. “yes. You must understand young lady… I grew up in a time when people like me… people with my… tendencies… were treated like freaks. Like there was something wrong with us. I can't tell you how many times I was called queer and faggot in my school days. Or how many times I had to physically defend myself because no one else would. But then… then I met Jack and… he was different. He didn't treat me like a freak. He treated me like a friend. And for that i'll be forever grateful to him. Its that loyalty that still fills me to this day. Even all these years after his death. I apologize for deceiving you, ask your questions and I promise on Jack and mine's friendship that I will answer them.”

Glancing to Nick Judy spoke softly. “were you really in love with Jack?”

Dawson sighed but nodded. “yes. Very much so. But… he made it clear that he did not share those feelings.” Dawson broke off for a moment, composing himself before continuing. “i'll not lie and say the rejection didn't hurt. It did… but in time I came to understand Jack better. He was the kind of person everyone loved. I was just another person swept up in his wake. And He didn't think less of me for the incident.”

Nick nodded slowly. He knew a few people like that. They made great hustlers and grifters, their natural charm and charisma enough to charm the wool off a sheep.

“and the night Jack died. Hellina said you and Jack snuck away. that makes you the last person to see Jack alive.”

At this Dawson chuckled. “not to split hairs young lady, but technically Anna and Jack's killer was the last to see him alive.”

Nick narrowed his eyes slightly. “joking will not help you here Mr Dawson. What were you and Jack doing that night?”

Mr Dawson sighed softly. "I was… helping him to run away.”

Nick and Judy looked at each other. “what?”

Marcus nodded. “Jack had had enough. He wanted out. Out of the city. out of his life. To start over. And I was helping him to do it.”

Nick raised an eyebrow curiously. “and just how were you doing that Mr Dawson?”

Dawson sighed softly but remained silent for several moments before speaking. “by driving him to the bar that Anna worked at. That's it. Jack just wanted me to drive him there and then drive off.”

Something in Dawson's voice told Nick he was holding out. Omitting some detail perhaps out of the loyalty mentioned before. Clearing his throat Nick caught Dawson's eye. “that's ALL he was having you do?”

Dawson remained silent for a few moments before, “and by technically bending the law.”

Judy's eyes narrowed. “what do you mean?”

Dawson shrugged. “in the weeks before his death Jack asked me to open new accounts under the names Anthony and Marlene Hodges. Once they were opened, he had me slowly funnel a portion of funds from his private accounts into their account every few days.”

Judy cocked her head. “and you didn't think that was strange?”

Dawson sighed again. “of course I did detective. But my best friend was asking me for help. And the number of times he'd helped me before. Plus he had all the necessary paperwork. So it wasn't hard to do.”

Nick looked at him. “how come no one noticed Jacks money leaving? I assume Jack's family had their own accountants who monitored their money. How did you siphon funds without anyone noticing.”

Dawson chuckled. “detective my family helped establish the banking infrastructure that the city uses to this day. It's easy enough to hide funds and transfers once you know how. I disguised the transfers as payment for financial advice.”

Judy sighed. “who are Anthony and Marlene Hodges? Why did Jack open accounts in their name and send them money?”

Marcus shrugged. “no idea detective. Jack never told me. He just asked me to help him. If it helps you I remember the accounts  were minor accounts. Anthony and Marlene were both 17, and would turn 18 at the end of the year. Jack had the accounts setup so that once that happened his name would fall off the accounts and they would exist separate from his. But beyond that, I only know how much he wanted them to have.”

Nick raised an eyebrow again. “and how much was that?”

Dawson's face crinkled for a moment before he responded. “about 2 million dollars or so.”

Again both Nick and Judy's eyes widened, stunned. “your friend asked you to put 2 million dollars into the account of people you knew nothing about? And you didn't think that was odd? Or tell anyone about it?”

Dawson shook his head. "I didn't say that detective. Of course I thought it was odd. And I questioned him about it. But he wouldn't tell me what it was for. And it was hardly the first time he'd asked me to do things like this. Hell, a few months after he met anna he asked me to help him send $50,000 in cash. Jack could be very spontaneous when he wanted to be. And it's not like any of this would really hurt him financially. Hell 2 million was barely walking around money to his family. I will say this though, whoever Anthony and Marlene Hodges are, they never touched the accounts. The money is still there, just sitting in those accounts. Although… i'm sure interest and inflation has changed the balances a bit.”

Next to him Nick felt Judy sigh and pinch her nose in annoyance. He could tell she was starting to get annoyed. She always got annoyed when cases became overly complex. And this case was certainly that. Giving her a moment to collect herself Nick spoke. “Ok. what about his involvement with the mob?”

At this Dawson chuckled. “Jack wasn't in league with the mob detectives.”

Judy raised an eyebrow at him. “then why would Hellina say otherwise?”

Dawson chuckled. “because Hellina jumped to a conclusion when she saw Tommy hammerhead's name. She instantly assume Jack was working for the mob. He wasn't, they were helping him. He met with them, yes. Twice actually. Both times, they met, they talked, a price was agreed upon and paid and everyone left. They had no running arrangement beyond those meetings.”

At this Judy cocked her head. “what were these meetings about?”

Dawson shrugged. "I don't know detective. Jack never told me and when I asked… he lied. Said he was paying them to leave his workers alone, but I knew he was lying.”

Nick looked at him. “you could tell he was lying?”

Dawson nodded and smiled. "I knew Jack better than anyone else. Of course I knew he was lying. But I don't know what he and they talked about.”

Judy sighed. “can you tell us ANYTHING about the meetings?”

Dawson was silent for a few moments before responding. “the first meeting… it cost Jack $10,000 to get whatever he was there for. The second meeting cost him $200,000 and… he was… odd… that time.”

Nicks eyes narrowed. “odd?”

Dawson nodded. “he was nervous. Not scared but… anxious… like when you're doing something very important and you can't mess up. He was like that, agitated but optimistic. But he got what he needed and all parties left happy. and that was the last time he met with them.”

Looking sideways at Judy Nick caught her eye. A silent communication passing between them, confirming that they would need to speak to Mr Big. He watched as Judy sighed. “Mr Dawson you could have saved us a lot of time by telling us all this before.”

In the chair Dawson sighed. “perhaps detective. But Jack was my best friend. He asked me to not tell anyone about these things. And I am nothing if not a person of my word.”

Nick couldn't help but smile slightly as Judy sighed exasperatedly. “is there anything else Mr Dawson? ANYTHING else we should know?”

Mr Dawson was silent for several moment before speaking, his voice soft. “just that… I am sorry detectives. You're right. I should have been honest with you before.” slowly Dawson got to his feet, leaning on a cane as he did so. "I truly do want my friend's murder solved.  I just… I don't want his name dragged through the mud to do it. I hope you can understand that.”

Getting to his feet Nick nodded. “we can Mr Dawson. Thank you for speaking with us.”

 

\----------

 

Groaning Nick sat back in his chair watching as across from him Judy diligently wrote down everything Dawson had told them. After a few moments he spoke. “so, think he told us everything this time?”

She looked up at him, remaining silent for a moment before responding. "I don't know. I mean… I can understand being loyalty to his friend. But… he did hide things from us. It's hard to justify him not being a suspect after that.”

Nick nodded in agreement. Before, after their first talk he'd practically written Dawson off as a suspect. But now he couldn't help but be a bit suspicious of the old coyote He certain knew a lot more about what was happening then he'd ever let on. Sighing and sitting up Nick spoke. “so… we should talk to Mr Big.”

Across from him Judy groaned, looking up from her notes. Her expression was strained. “yeah… I guess.”

He chuckled to himself, unsurprised by Judy's unusual lack of enthusiasm. Their relationship with the tundra town mafia boss had always been… rocky at best. He had tried to have them killed when they'd first met. And there was that bit with the rug from before. But being Frufru’s child's godmother had smoothed things over a bit. But their meetings were always a bit strained, always dancing around certain aspects of their jobs that the other could use again them. Now though… they needed the boss and his connections. Sitting up Nick picked up his phone, quickly keying in the number and listening as the phone rang. Three rings later the phone clicked and a deep voice a polar bear met his ear. “The Big's residence. How may I help you?”

He smiled, more to himself than to anyone else. “Is this Kenny? How's it going pal? Its Nick Wilde, long time no see.”

The polar bear huffed annoyed. “Wilde. What do you want?”

Nick moved his hand like a mouth smiling to Judy. “well Kenny. Judy and I were hoping we could swing by later. I'd love to talk to your boss and i'm sure Judy would love to see frufru and little Judy too.”

There was silence on the line for several moments, no doubt the bear relaying what he had said to his superiors. Waiting patiently Nick mentally wondered if maybe he should have led with meeting little ju-

“Mr Big will see you at 7pm tonight. You will join him for dinner.”

A moment later the line went dead. Sighing and shaking his head slightly Nick hung up the phone. Across from him Judy looked at him curiously. “what is it?”

Nick shrugged and smiled. “we've been invited to dinner with Mr Big and Frufru.”

He watched as she looked at him slightly uncomfortable. Sighing softly he spoke in a reassuring tone. “its ok carrots. Big and I can go in another room and talk while you and frufru gossip. I know this… makes you uncomfortable. So let your sly true neutral partner handle this. We wouldn't want to jeopardize your lawful good standing would we?”

She rolled her eyes at him. But after a second she smiled appreciatively at him. “thanks. Um…” she glanced at the clock on her desk. It was already 5pm which meant their shift was over. “what did you wanna do till then?”

Nick smiled at her. “actually I had something in mind already. It'll only take a few minutes so we won't miss dinner.”

He watched as she raised an eyebrow at him. “what is it?”

He shrugged, doing his best to seem nonchalant. “there's… someone I want you to meet.”

Judy cocked her head curiously. “who?”

Nick took a deep breath. “My mother.”

 

\---------

 

The drive through the city had been quick. As soon as they'd stopped by their apartment and changed they'd drived out of the city center and out into the Field lands. Here everything was much more spread out and less developed. Maintained but still rugged grass grew along the roads. The buildings here were mostly residential, places for mammals who prefered less hustle and bustle and a more leisurely setting. From her seat Judy watched Nick as he drove. There was something about him. Some tension in his shoulders and tail. Was he nervous to introduce her? She mentally kicked herself. _Of course he's nervous. He's about to introduce his interspecies girlfriend to his mother, and a prey to top it all off._

She bit her lip slightly. What would Nick's mother think of her? She barely knew anything about his mother, only the little bit he'd told her recently. The few other times he'd mentioned her it had sounded like the relationship was… strained. But he had never said or hinted at why. after several moments Nick spoke softly. “don't worry Judy. mom will like you. I know it."

there was something in his tone, some underlying note that told Judy that Nick wasn't saying that for her benefit but for his own. she shifted a bit, smiling at Nick in what she hoped was a convincing expression. “Y-yeah, I'm sure she will."

they drove just a small ways further before turning off the road and pulling into a large but we'll kept parking lot. getting out of the car Judy blinked as she found herself looking at a small front building behind which a retirement community had been constructed. as they neared the building Nick spoke again. “Mom moved here and few years ago. living on her own was becoming difficult and… I… wasn't exactly around much to help.” at his words Nick's ears flattened slightly and his tail dropped a bit.

Judy watched as he pulled open the door to the building, holding it open for her to step through before following her inside. the lobby of the building was a bit drab if she was being honest. it wasn't ugly by any means, nice chairs, a large desk and a few paintings hung on the walls. it was just, EXACTLY what she'd expected the lobby of a retirement community to look like. hanging back a moment she allowed Nick to take the lead, following him up to the desk and a young leopard who looked up at them as they approached. as they drew near Judy watched as the leopard's face split into a wide smile. “Mr Wilde, it's been awhile. how have you been? how's life as a big important police officer?"

 Nick chuckled at her words. " It ain't all it's cracked up to be Gladis. I have to get up at 6am in the morning sometimes.”

 the leopard, Gladis chuckled. “always a trade off."

Nick grinned, leaning in to sign a login book before being handed a badge and handing one to Judy too. “stay well gladis."

the leopard nodded and waved as they continued past the desk, and out towards a set of double doors on into the retirement community. looking around Judy found the community was very well let. the grasses under their feet was a lush green color, the trees and shrubs all were kept and maintained. following Nick onto a small dirt path Judy spoke. “it's… nice.”

Nick chuckled. “for how much it costs it BETTER be." she looked up at him and he sighed softly. “remember when we met and I told you I made $200 a day?" she nodded, her mind already starting to connect the dots. Nick shrugged. “this is why." as he spoke he waved to the community around them. Judy opened her mouth, intending to ask just how much it was costing Nick to keep his mother here but broke of as nice again pulled open a door, holding it open for her before following her inside the single level building. they were in a hallway way, with doors leading to residences. Moving down the hallway Judy found her and Nick standing before a plain white door, the numbers 109 stenciled on the front of it. She watched as Nick took a breath, before reaching up and knocking on the door. for several moments here was silence, then Judy's ears perked slightly as she heard the sounds of movement from inside the apartment. a moment later the door opened and-

“H-hi Mom."

Judy blinked, looking at the older red fox standing before them. she looked very similar to Nick. she had the same shade of red fur the same nose, even her markings were similar. but her eyes were different, a pallet blue color. he must had gotten the green from his father. for a few moments the female fox looked at them. then, slowly her face spread into a smile. “Nick."

next to her Judy felt Nick shift, nodding slowly. "yeah. it's me mom."

she watched as the two foxes moved in, pulling each other into a soft embrace for several seconds. when they broke apart Nick stepped back and turned to her. “Mom, this is Judy.”

Judy squirmed a bit as Nick's mom turned to look at her. for a moment the female Fox's face was blank and Judy wondered if maybe she was a traditionalist who didn't think predator and prey should be friends. that thought lasted less than a second as another smile spread across her face. “Hello Judy, it's nice to meet you. I'm Mary Wilde."

nodding Judy spoke, feeling a small wave of relief washing through her. “It's n-nice to meet you too."

she watched as Nick's mother stepped back and aside, gesturing for them to come inside. she allowed Nick to go first, stepping after him. a moment later Mary shut the door behind them and led them into the living room. a large couch had been set out, along with a few armchairs, one of which Mary sat down in. following Nick's lead Judy sat down on the couch. “You look good mom. How have you been?"

there was something in Nick’s tone. some unlying hint of… fear? apprehension? it was odd, and made Judy wonder if Nick was afraid of the answer he might get. across from them his mother smiled. “I've been good. Thinking of John a lot. He would have liked this place I think.”

Nick nodded slowly. “Y-yeah… dad would have loved it.”

again Mary smiled at them. “so, to what do I owe this visit? and who is your friend here?”

Nick shifted a little, looking at Judy before speaking again. “Well… we were in the area, and… it's been a while since I came to see you. and,” she felt Nick's tail twitch behind them. “this is Judy. she's my friend… but also my partner on the police force.”

Mary's eyes widened as she looked to Judy. “a rabbit police officer?"

Judy bit her lip, nodding slowly. "Y-y-yes.” was this going to be a-

"That seems like a very smart idea.” Mary's words made Judy blinked, her mind momentarily going blank. a good idea? had she really just said that? she was used to people laughing when she told them. or telling her that she was stupid for doing this. or how she would get eaten one of these days. But… no one had ever told her that a rabbit being a cop was a good idea.

“A… a good idea?"

across from her Mary smiled and nodded. "It's true. I knew a rabbit back in the day who could run to the end of the Street and back in the blink of an eye on. No way any criminal would have been able to get away from him. And another rabbit, The one who used to deliver the newspaper; once some coyotes tried to rob him. he fought back and kicked one of them so hard it broke his nose and shattered several teeth. No one ever bothered him after that.”

Judy smiled and said bit at Mary's words. it was nice to have someone believe in her right off the bat. “t-thank you."

Mary nodded, her eyes going to Nick. "And of course if Nick is watching your back; then I dare say there is no finer pair on the force.”

again Judy smiled, feeling her ears tingle slightly from the praise. she hadn't expected his. well ok she really hadn't know WHAT to expect. but she hadn't expected to get such support after only a few words. next to her Nick spoke again. “Y-yeah. there isn't. we're the best."

Mary grinned. "Of course you are, John would be so proud of you.”

it was a faint sound, almost unperceivable. at his mother's words Judy heard Nick inhale, a soft shake filling that breath. she felt him squirm and little where he sat. she looked at him, her eyes widened and bit as she found small tears had welled up in the corners of Nick's eyes which he'd closed as he took another deep breath. after a few moments Nick moved, reaching up to wipe the tears away before continuing. “Mom… Judy… she's… she's more than just a friend and my partner. she… she's… my girlfriend too.”

there was silence for  few seconds, Judy's gaze went to Nick's mom watching her face as she processed what Nick had said. “Your… girlfriend?”

Nick nodded. “y-yes."

more silence greeted his words. for a moment Judy wondered if it was all about to come crashing down. maybe his mother was ok with her being an officer and being his friend. but maybe she wasn't ok with interspecies couples. or maybe it was a predator/prey angle she had a pro-

“Oh Nick, that's so wonderful.”

for the second time Judy found herself blinking, surprised by her response. next to her she felt Nick relax. across from them Mary looked to Judy. “Promise me you'll take good care of him. he needs all the help he can get."

she nodded. "o-of course.”

Mary smiled wider, looking back to Nick. “and you. you be sure to treat her like a goddess. you worship the ground she walks on. understand?”

Nick nodded, speaking softly. "I will. I promise."

Mary smiled and clasped her paws together. "You both look so cute together. I just know you two will be together for a long time.”

next to her Nick shifted, his paw going to hers. "I hope so.”

Mary nodded matter of factly. “you will, I can tell. John and I were together for 20 years. and I knew from the first date that we'd be together. Love knows, even if it doesn't always make sense.” again she looked between them. "I  wish my son could find love like this. it would do him so much good. he's been so upset since his father passed.”

instantly Judy felt Nick stiffen. when he spoke, his voice was soft and filled with sadness. “m-mom..."

if Mary heard his words she didn't respond. instead she looked around. “I'm sure he's around here somewhere. hang on, I'll call him. Nick? Nick COME SAY HELLO TO OUR GUESTS.”

“Mary..." Judy could hear the pain in Nick's voice as he spoke, trying to get his mother's attention. Again she seemed to ignore him. Instead she got to her feet while shaking her head.

“Where has that boy gotten to now? Nick?"

she could Nick's fur bristling, his tail was no longer laid out but instead had pulled itself closer to his body while his ears were laying flat against his head. Judy bit her lip, she could almost feel Nick's pain just from the way he was sitting.  this was killing him. He was sitting right there in front of his mother, yet she didn't recognize him. “Mr Wilde," she spoke firmly, as she had learned to do with some of her older relatives. At the sound of her name the older fox turned to look at her. Taking a deep breath Judy continued. "I believe we passed your son in the hallway. He was saying he was late to be somewhere.”

it was a lie but hopefully one that would get them off the subject. For a few moments Mary blinked at them. Then, “wait… today is Thursday right?” It wasn't. It was Monday. But still Judy nodded watching as an embarrassed smile covered Mary's face. “Yes. You're right. Nick has his junior ranger scout meetings today.”

Again Judy felt Nick stiffen, no doubt the memory of his first and only ranger scout meeting replaying in his head. After a few seconds Nick spoke. His voice was calm but Judy could hear the faint quiver in it. “I-i think we should to go now."

His mother looked at him. "So soon? You only just got here."

Nick nodded, getting to his feet rather stiffly. “Yeah. we're on a case. I just wanted to a stop by and say hello and introduce Judy to you.”

again Mary blinked for a moment before nodded. “oh ok. thank you for coming by Nick. and," she looked to Judy. “it was very lovely to have met you. please, watching after my Nick and take good care of him.”

mentally Judy nodded that Nick's mother seemed to have snapped back to the correct year. next to her Nick and his mother embraced for a quick moment before Mary led them to the door and opened it for them. as they left the apartment she spoke softly. "I meant what I said Nick. Your father would be proud of you. I'm proud of you."

Judy watched as Nick nodded. she couldn't help but notice the sad smile covering his face. “thanks Mom."

 

\--------

 

the drive to Mr Big's home was tense. Judy drove this time, occasionally looking to Nick who was staring at the window as the tundra landscape. “thanks… for coming.”

she nodded. “Of course Nick."

he shifted, looking to her and smiling weakly. “she likes you I think.”

Judy nodded again. “she certainly didn't seem to not like me."

Nick nodded again, his smile faltering as he went back to looking out the window. after several moments he spoke. “It started a few years ago. she'd forget the day or time. or hat she'd been doing a few minutes before. small stuff. stuff we all forget. but… then it started getting worse. she forgot people's names. the address where she lived. but I kept telling myself it was just her getting old. and then… one day she forgot me. I had gone to ask her if she wanted to order something for lunch and… she didn't recognize me.”

Judy felt her heart clench painfully. “Nick… I'm so sorry.”

Nick sighed softly. "I tried to help. tried to take care of her. to keep her at home. she remembered dad. remembered how happy he made her. no matter how much she forgot she never forgot him.”

Judy frowned slightly. "I thought you said your dad left her to raise you alone?”

Nick nodded. “he did. John wasn't my biological father. my mother met him a few months after my dad bailed. he made her happy again. I… I didn't always handle it well. but… he did so much for her. more than I ever could. anyways..m most of the money I make goes to that place. to make sure she has a place to stay.”

Judy felt her insides squirm guiltily as see remembered how worried Nick had become when she'd threatened him with a tax evasion charge. at the time she'd thought he was just worried about being caught. now though… she knew the truth. if she'd turned Nick in it would  have no doubt bankrupted him and forced his mother out of that place. “Nick… you're a good son.”

he looked at her. “no, no I'm not Judy. I was a trash son who got into trouble all the time and probably drove my mom into the condition she's in now.”

but Judy shook her head. “But none of that is your fault Nick. You were forced to do the things you did. all because that bitch wanted to hurt you. They're to blame, not you.”

Nick remained silent for several moments, pondering what she'd said. "I suppose. But still… I could have been better.”

Judy rolled her eyes. "all kids could be better in the eyes of their parents. Look at me. I could have not become a cop and instead been a boring ole carrot farmer. It would have saved my parents years of worry and exasperation. But if I had done that,” she looked at him and grinned  "you and I probably wouldn't have ended up together."

Nick chuckled. "True enough. Then again, I'd have burned every bridge in the city at some point and been forced to leave. So maybe we would have met.”

Judy chuckled. "Finding you drunk or high or passed out in my fields would not have been a great first meeting.”

Nick grinned. “making you sink up to our ankles in wet cement probably wasn't either.”

they both laughed at that as they came to a stop in front of Mr Big's home. after a few seconds the heavy metal gate in front of them moved, sliding back and allowing them to continue on up the drive before pulling up in front of the house. as they shut off the engine Nick reached into the back seat, producing two Jackets for them to hastily pull on before exiting the vehicle. he was grateful for the Jackets almost instantly; the icy cold wind of tundra town could be like knives if you stayed out in it to long. as it was he was already shivering slightly as she hurried up the steps and towards the fron-

the door opened as they neared it, a massive polar bear having opened it. galsning at the ground Nick found that Mr Big and Frufru were both waiting for them. the older shrew looked curiously at them while Frufru squealed in delight. “Judy! Nick! WELCOME!"

hurrying inside Nick smiled at the female shrew who smiled at him before turning to grin at Judy. as the door was shut behind them Mr Big spoke. “We're so glad you could join us. It has been too long since we had guests.” Nick did his best not to roll his eyes. he couldn't exactly blame mammals for avoiding this place. even if Mr Big was a reasonable mob boss, he was STILL a mob boss. “Come dinner is almost ready. Allow Masha to take your coats."

as he spoke the large polar bear who had opened the door leaned down and held out his paws. politely handing the bear the cost Nick turned, and began to follow the two shrews down the hallway. “How have you and Judy been Frufru?"

Judy's question resulted in Frufru talking animatedly for several minutes about how Judy was doing well and was enjoying school. it was a pleasant distraction, keeping Nick from focusing on the last few times he'd been to this house and the bad memories those visits had come with. the dining room was warmly little, with a crackling fire already going in the large fireplace. the table was huge, easily as long as their car had been, with a dozen seats having been set-up around it. “please, make yourself comfortable. If need be we can have smaller chairs brought in.”

Nick shook his head, pulling a chair out and offering it to Judy who smiled at him before hopping up. pushing in the chair Nick joined her a moment later, noting the fine leather covers on the chair, making sure to watch his claws. another polar bear emerged a moment later, gently lifting Mr Big and Frufru up and onto the table where a much smaller table had been set-up for the tiny shrews. "I made sure to have my chef prepare a dish for your palate Mrs Hopps, I hope it is to your liking.”

Judy smiled pleasantly. “I'm sure I will."

Mr Big smiled warmly before snapping his fingers, the sound so soft it was almost unheard. nevertheless it had barely ended before the doors to the room opened and two polar bears in tuxedos emerged carrying platters of food. of course Mr Big and Frufru were served first; only fair since it was their home. when it was their turn Nick watched as the polar bear revealed Judy's dish; a bright and vivid salad with cut up chunks of fruits and vegetables accompanied with a dressing of olive oil and and a few other small garnishes; and a large  of grilled eggplant. Nick smiled slightly as Judy's ears flicked up in excitement. even to his predator nose that salad smelled good. when it was his turn he watched as the polar bear revealed a dish of grilled lemon chicken, a small accompaniment of potatoes and other small vegetables along the side. almost instantly his mouth began to water at the smell of the chicken.

“Enjoy the food."

they certainly did. soon the room was filled with the soft din of forks and knives and the soft thumping of glasses being set back down. next to him Judy moaned softly as she took a bite of the eggplant, no doubt finding it was grilled to perfection. Nick chuckled softly as he watched her tail twitch. his own food was just as delicious, the chicken having been seasoned and marinated perfectly. it was delicious, certainly better than the fast food and easy make stuff he and Judy usually lived on.

almost disappointingly soon their plates were empty, leaving both he and Judy happily full. across from them Mr Big and Frufru finished their food too, all of their plates being taken away by the same polar bears who had brought them out. after several moments Mr Big spoke. “Now then, you wished to speak with me. why?"

Nick sat up, glancing at Judy and noting how she had shifted uncomfortably. “perhaps we can speak in private. I'm sure Judy would rather speak with your daughter about her and little Judy, rather than listen to what we have to talk about.”

next to him Judy nodded slowly. "I would."

Mr Big nodded and motioned to Nick. "Come, the library is as private as any other room. and I have a nice bar in there. perhaps we shall have a chaser to the fine meal we just ate.”

Nick smiled and nodded, looking sideways at Judy who smiled at him. silently she mouthed “thank you" as he got up and followed Mr Big out of the dining room.

it wasn't far to the library, the large book filled room was simply down the hall. stepping inside Nick paused for a moment, his eyes going to the shelves that were lined with books of all sizes and makes. when he'd worked for Mr Big I'd helped the shrew gain some of these books, rare and valuable tomes that were worth small fortunes. at the time he'd found the idea of paying $1,000 for a book insane. in truth he still found it odd. in front of him Mr Big spoke. "I have Brandy, Gin, Vodka, Scotch, what is your fancy Wilde?”

Nick shrugged. “Scotch I guess, but just a fingers worth."

the shrew nodded and soon enough the drinks were made, another nameless polar bear making them before exiting the room. sitting down in one of the chairs Nick eyes Mr Big for a moment before speaking. “Before we begin, I'd like to establish a few things; if you'll permit me.”

Mr Big nodded. “very well."

Nick took a small sip of his drink before continuing. "firstly; full disclosure, this is for a case Judy and I are working. secondly; let's assume for all intents and purposes that any person or persons, crimes and happenings are all hypothetical or happened in a historical context years ago. thirdly: Judy and I are coming to you for this because you have a deep understanding of zootopian history as well as it's more… seedier organizations. Agreed?”

Mr Big was silent for several moments before nodded. “agreed. So long as it is also understood that as a law abiding citizen of this city I reserve the right to plead the 5th if needed.”

Nick smiled and nodded. "great. Judy and I have questions about a figure from the past, someone who used to run zootopia's crime world in the early years of the city. Tommy Hammerhead.”

At the sound of the name Mr Big seemed to stiffen slightly, his eyes widening in Surprise. “Hammerhead? What could you possibly want to know about that psychopath?”

Nick raised an eyebrow. In all the years he'd known the shrew he'd never heard him that this tone before. “What do you know of him?"

Mr Big sighed deeply, clearly upset. “He was crazy, deranged. Everyone was afraid of him. I remember once hearing a story of how he cut off a thief's fingers and then made him eat them as a reminder never to try and steal from him. The man, if he can even be called that… was a monster. Plain and simple as that.”

Nick cocked an eyebrow. "What happened to him?”

Mr Big shrugged before taking a sip of his drink. "the same thing that happens to all men who rule through fear and intimidation. Eventually people got tired of being scared. In this case a polar bear named Koslov got a group together and systematically killed off hammerheads lieutenant's and then Hammerhead himself.”

Nick nodded, recalling how after Koslov had stepped aside Mr Big had taken over. “Judy and I are working a cold case. The murder of Jack Magnus and Anna dunwitty. Hammerhead might have been involved.”

At the name Magnus Mr Big perked up slightly. "Magnus you say? That's a very old name. One that has plenty of secrets behind it. Some good and some… not so much.”

Nick looked at the monster curiously. "Such as?”

Mr Big chuckled. "Old man Magnus was ruthless. Wasn't above hiring people to 'persuade’ his rivals to sell their businesses.”

Nick nodded slowly. "Jack had dealings with hammerhead and his crew. A witness says he paid them. Once $10,000 and then $200,000. Any idea why?”

Mr Big shook his head. “no, but my knowledge of Hammerhead's dealings is… limited. I know people though, they might know more. I'll reach out to them and then relay what they say.”

Nick nodded. “thank you. that would be very helpful."

across from him Mr Big remained silent for several moments before speaking again. “So, you and the detective. how long have you been together?”

the question made him blink, his mind going blank for a moment. he hadn't expected the shrew to know about him and Judy. after several moments he managed to respond. “How did you know?"

the shrew shrugged. "It's my job to notice things. the smallest details about mammals and their behaviors. it's in the way you walk. the way you look at her. the way you held the chair out for her. It's sweet; reminds me of me and my darling Rebecca.”  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow at the mention of Mr Big's late wife. he could count the number of times he'd heard him talking about her on one paw. for a moment he sat there motionless, trying to decide if he should engage in that particular conversation with the mob boss. “Thank you for your help. we look forward to whatever else you can uncover.”

moving over stand Nick paused as big sighed again before speaking. “Love is a fickle thing Wilde. I hope for your sake that you are prepared for all it's bumps and twists and turns. I hope that she is worth it.”

Nick's eyes narrowed, not in an aggressive way; but instead in a challenge. "I am an she is."

Mr Big nodded. "good. I'll be in contact soon.”

he nodded before leaving the room.


	15. Scarlet Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS IT FOLKS!  
> all the clues have been laid out. 
> 
> who can guess who the killer is?

The next few days were slow. with no leads to follow and with them having to wait for Mr Big to contact them back with what his contacts had found Nick and Judy found themselves doing busy work on the case. they poured over the bits of evidence that had been collected; a laughably tiny amount. the murder weapon, a few photos of the crime scene, and a handful of testimonies from mammals who had been nearly at the time of the shooting. all of their accounts were nearly the same. they'd been doing other things in the lounge when the sound of gunshots had startled them and made them run. While they'd poured over the testimonies Nick had watched as Judy had grown slowly more and more agitated by the small speciest notes and comments about the mammals left by the detectives. 

“Relax carrots. That was just the times back then."

She glared at him from across the desks. "That doesn't make it right."

He shrugged. “Not saying it is. But nothing we can do about it now.”

He watched as she huffed and closed the file in front of her with a bit more force than was necessary. “It just… uggg… it's stupid. How can police, DETECTIVES have these bias and prejudices? You're supposed to remain objective. Not judge someone just because they're a weasel or a wolf or… or…”

“A fox?" 

Judy's ears went down at his words. "Nick…”

Sighing softly Nick shook his head. "Carrots, look. I've dealt with specism my entire life. And I've come to recognize a few things about it. One of which is when someone is doing it to truly be hurtful and when they're doing it because they don't know any better. It's like when you and I first met. Was I offended that you had fox repellent and thought I was shady? No. You weren't thinking those things because you wanted to hurt me. You just didn't have any other reference to go off of.”

Judy reminded silent her eyes downcast on the closed folder in front of her. She still felt bad about what she had said. The memory of Nick walking away from her ears back tail dragging on the floor, still made her stomach twist and writhe with guilt. Across from her Nick seemed to know what she was thinking. “Hey… look at me.” Slowly she did so, her gaze drifting up from her desk to meet his. “It's ok. I forgave you a long time ago. Ok?"

She bit her lip but nodded slowly. "I… ok." 

Sighing to himself Nick moved, stepping away from his desk before circling around the desks and-

“N-Nick?"

He ignored her confusion, instead leaning into press his lips against her cheek softly. For several moments Judy froze, her mouth hanging out while her ears stood on end. _What_ _Is… he…_

A split second later she felt her ears flush with heat while her face turned red. She squirmed in her chair a combination of embarrassment and joy welling up inside her stomach. Her eyes jerked around, quickly scanning to see if any of their co-workers had seen the display of affection. If any of them had none of them were reacting, then again the small cubicle wall around their desks did a decent job of blocking the view of all but the largest officers. Next to her Nick was grinning, clearly entertained by her embarrassment. “You know you're pretty cute when you blush like that carrots."

His words snapped her out of her stupor slightly, making her face burning a bit hotter while she pushed him away, albeit playfully. “H-hey. We have to be careful of..." She looked around again before lowering her voice. " We don't want someone to see and report it to the chief. Not before… we do.”

Rolling his eyes Nick spoke playfully. “Well then let's go tell him right now. That way I can kiss you whenever I want.”

His grin grew as Judy let out an embarrassed kind of choking squeak, her eyes again going to frantically look at those around them. again no one seemed to have heard or cared about what they'd said. she'd been about to respond when her words were cut off by her phone which rang to life, making her jump slightly. grabbing the receiver she brought it to her ear and had been about to seek when a cool female voice spoke from the other end. “hello detective Hopps. blinking in Surprise it took Judy a moment to place the aged yet smooth voice. 

“Hello Ms. Magnus. How can we help you?" 

on the other end of the line Victoria chuckled softly. “I just wanted to check in. It seems you went and spoke to Hellina.”

at that Judy raised an eyebrow slightly. “oh? and how do you know?" 

Victoria's voice changed, no doubt reflecting the small shrug of her shoulders she was probably doing. “Because I received a VERY rude and expletive laced phone call from her last night.”

Judy's ears flicked back, her insides squirming slightly as she recalled Nick had confirmed to Hellina that Victoria had spoken to them about her. “I'm… we're sorry about that. your name came up in the discussions we had with her.”

again Victoria chuckled. “it’s alright detective. it was rather amusing actually. I'd have been surprised if she hadn't figured out I was the one who directed you to her. no need to apologize. that woman can be very cunning and devious when she wants to be.”

biting her lip Judy took a chance. “Hellina said the same thing about your brother. that his nice mammal persona was just an act.”

on the other end of the line Victoria sighed softly. “yes. a few people have thought that over the years. but my brother was no charlatan. he truly did care about prey and their livelihood.”

nodding to the phone Judy agreed. “We understand Ms Magnus, we simply wished to bring it up with you and get your opinion on it." 

there silence on the end of the line for several moments before Victoria responded. “I thank you for what you are doing detectives. it's nice to have someone care about my brother as a person and not just as a last name. that's how so many people still see us. not as mammals but as our last name; Magnus. for a while I wondered if that was why Ms Dunwitty was attracted to my brother. his connection and power would be hard for anyone to resist. But… they loved each other, you can see it in the letters they wrote to each other. They were each other's scarlet rose. Do you know what that's like detective?”

for a moment Judy remained silent, her eyes wandering over to her partner. across the desks Nick had pulled his own phone off it's hook, his head tilted so he could listen silently to the call and check his cell phone at the same time. “y-yes. I do.”

at her words Nick's eyes flickered up and over to hers, their gazes connecting for a moment. as she watched Nick smiled and mouthed the words 'Love you too’ to her. 

feeling her face tingle slightly Judy refocussed on the call. “I promise Ms Magnus, we're doing everything we can to find your brother and Ms Dunwitty's killer.”

Victoria's voice become business like again. “Glad to hear it detective. I hope you can succeed where so many others have failed. Good day.”

hanging up the phone Judy sighed softly, looking up after a moment to find Nick grinning at her. “wh-what?" 

Nick shrugged. "I knew you loved me.”

she rolled her eyes, chuckling as she did so. 

 

\--------

 

the day was long and mostly uneventful. after the phone call with Victoria they'd spent the rest of the day going over what they'd learned so far off the case. admittedly it was less than Judy would have liked; but as Nick pointed out they were making good progress from a case that was over 60 years old. he'd even pointed out that they seem to be doing more work than the original detectives who had handled the case did; something that had brought Judy's mood up slightly. they'd just stepped through the door to Judy's… THEIR apartment when Nick's phone buzzed; the shrill electronic tone making both of them jump slightly. Quickly grabbing the device Nick answered it. “Hello?"  

there was a brief pause before, "Mr Wilde, I believe I have found the information you have asked for." 

Nick's eyes widened at that. "Mr Big,” Judy looked to him cautiously at the mention of the crime boss. "that was quick." 

Mr Big chuckled. “Indeed. But to the point. One of my associates was able to do some research and come up with the reason behind the payments the late Jack Magnus made to a man of Tommy Hammerhead's reputation.”

Nick nodded. “ok, hang on one moment. I want to put out on speakerphone so Judy can hear too.”

motioning for Judy to come in closer Nick pressed the button on his phone before speaking. “ok, go ahead." 

after a moment Mr Big's voice spoke for them both to here. "Hello Mrs Hopps. I hope you're well. as I was telling your partner, I believe I have found the reasons why Mr Magnus was paying Mr Hammerhead. from the outside it probably looked to be protection money, not surprising since hammerhead was shaking down half the city for it. but the amounts… they're quite a bit larger than the payments others were making. and hammerhead was not known for treating one person better than another; one of the only good things that can be said about him. After speaking with an associate however we were able to pool our resources and find copies of several ledgers kept by hammerhead that documented who he did business with. in combing through those ledgers we found an entry on March 22nd of the year before Mr Magnus was murdered. it details a meeting Hammerhead had with an anonymous client. The meeting involved the client hiring hammerhead to find something and as a result hammerhead was payed $10,000.”

Nick looked to Judy who had pulled out her own phone and was no doubt recording what was being said. “And just what were they hired to find?”

“a phone number." the response came simply. 

Nick blinked, slightly surprised by the answer. next to him just cocked her head slightly. “a phone number?" 

"indeed Ms Hopps. The number in question belonged to a Salvador Rodriguez at the time, although the number has since become defunct.” 

Judy glanced to Nick before speaking again. "And who is Salvador Rodriguez?"

“Rodriguez was the founder of Memory Weaver Records, an at the time an up and coming recording company based out of Chickago. It would seem Mr Magnus was quite interested in talking with him. The number he wanted was not to the business but to Mr Rodriguez's home.”

At that both Nick and Judy raised an eyebrow.  _ Why would- _

As if he knew what they were thinking Mr Big continued. “I can think of only a few reasons to call a man at home detectives. As to why Mr Magnus wished to speak with Mr Rodriguez, Hammerhead didn't know. But after that Hammerhead and Magnus didn't have any further dealings until almost a year later.”

Glancing to Judy Nick spoke. “and what did they talk about that time?" 

Mr Big was silent for a moment before responding. "Hammerhead's reach was long. Some people thought he even had connections inside government agencies. Police forces, military, even the Marshall service at the time; though none of it was ever proven. I think what we uncovered my have been proof of just how far Hammerhead's connections extended. When Mr Magnus went to him the second time, it was to buy something, well two something actually.”

Nick bit his lip. “and what did he buy?" 

Mr Big chuckled softly. "A set of new lives." 

Nick and Judy blinked at each other for a moment. “New lives?" Judy's voice was low and confused. 

"Yes Ms Hopps. You have to remember, 60 years ago the political climate of the country was tense. War in Europe seemed inevitable. some mammals didn't wish to fight, either due to conscientious objections or because they were afraid. Men like Hammerhead offered a way out. they could arrange accidents, to happen; accidents that could disqualify a mammal from being forced to serve. other times they could  bribe military officials. Or in the case of Mr Magnus and Ms Dunwitty; sell them a completely new life. What I mean to say detectives, is that Mr Magnus bought new identities for himself and Ms Dunwitty.”

Judy looked stunned. “New identities?”

“yes, under the names Anthony and Marlene Hodges.”

At the names Nick's eyes widened, recognizing the names as the same that Mr Dawson had told them about. The same names Jack had asked him to siphon money into. things were starting to make sense now. “thank you Mr Big, we owe you for this." 

On the phone Mr Big chuckled. "no child. the Magnus phone is a very old name; one even my family respects. if this brings closure to what happened to them, then that is reward enough. good luck detectives.”

Nick remained silent. He didn't buy Mr Big's response. He was pretty sure the Arctic shrew would somehow use what he'd found to his advantage in the future. a moment later the line disconnected, leaving Nick and Judy looking at each other in stunned silence. it was Judy who spoke first, the wheels in her head slowly starting to turn again. “Jack asks Marcus to funnel money from his personal accounts into accounts under the names Anthony and Marlene Hodges. the same names he and Anna were going to adopt.”

Nick nodded his own mind working. “and Marcus said Jack was going to run away. that he'd had enough of his life and wanted to start fresh.”

Judy nodded slowly. “that's why he was there that night. that's why he snuck away from the gala. with everyone there no one would have noticed that he was gone until he was miles away. He and Anna were going to run off together and live new lives.

Nick frowned slightly. “but Dawson said the accounts were never touched, that the money is still there. So… Anna and Jack were killed before they could assume their new identities. and… who ever killed them… didn't know about the money or identities.”

Judy nodded in agreement. “That rules out hammerhead. If he'd ordered them killed, he'd have taken the identities back and found out about the money. and… if Dawson had done it… he would have known about the money at the very least.”

Nick fell silent his brain turning over the new information. after several moments he spoke slowly. “but… that discounts all of the suspects we had. If it wasn't Dawson or Hammerhead. then that leaves Hellina, who had an alibi for the night. It's a historical fact that she was there that night. then… who's left? Jack’s father?”

Judy shook her head. “no. by the time Jack was killed his dad had fallen Ill with pneumonia, there was a note about it in the detectives files. So it couldn't have been him.”

Nick nodded, remembering having read the same note. “and what's this recording company got to do with anything? Why was Jack so interested in speaking with the founder?”

Judy looked to him. “Maybe… it was for Anna? she was a lounge singer after all. A professionally made record… that would have been a boon to her and opened a lot of doors for her.”

Pulling out his phone Nick quickly pulled up a web search  his fingers quickly typing in 'Marlene Hodges’. No results. He tried 'Anna Dunwitty’ next, no results beyond a few articles about the murder. Looking to Judy he shook his head. “No results for either names. So… if he was paying to have a record made for her… I don't think it was ever released.”

He watched as Judy shifted, the wheels in her head still turning. "I think… we need to contact this record company. Maybe… maybe they have some kind of documentation about what Jack was doing. Or… or… something… ugggg.”

He watches as Judy grabbed her eyes, pulling them over her face in frustration for several  seconds. Though unable to do as she had Nick could feel his tail lashing from side to side roughly. They were so close, he could feel it. they'd certainly come further than any of the other officers who had investigated the case. And yet it felt like they were missing something. some blindingly obvious clue that would make everything fall into place. tucking his phone back into his pocket Nick sighed, looking to Judy who was still tugging at her ears in frustration. “you look kinda cute when you do that." 

he smiled, watching as she perked out at him, a faint blush covering her face. “flattery will get you nowhere Mr Wilde. you're already living here.”

Nick grinned, looking around the apartment. “speaking of that,” he moved forward, bending down slightly grab Judy and lift her off the floor. he grinned as Judy yelped slightly at the sudden move, her arms wrapping around his neck instinctively. 

“N-Nick?" 

Nick smiled and ignored her protests, carrying her a ways into the apartment before setting her down. “welcome home carrots." 

Without waiting for her to react he leaned down, planting a soft kiss against her cheek making her blush and squirm slightly. “You big softy."

He grinned at her. “Only with you."

 

\-----

 

It took them several hours the next day to arrange for a way for them to contact memory Weaver Records. Salvador Rodriguez the original owner has retired due to health concerns and was not able to speak to them. But his son Marco Rodriguez was, and quickly arranged for a video conference with them once he learned they were ZPD. So by late afternoon Nick and Judy found themselves sitting in an unused conference room, with Judy trying to work the laptop and video conference software while Nick sat back and watched. To her credit it only took Judy three tries to connect the call, and after a small bit of tinkering with the settings the sound and image quality improved, allowing them to better make out and understand the Maned wolf that was now displayed before them. The wolf, who wore a nice and rather expensive looking suit was sitting behind his desk working on a laptop, but stood up after a few moments to looking at them.

“Marco Rodriguez?" Judy asked.

The red furred maned wolf nodded. "yes. You must be officers Hopps and Wilde?”

Nick and Judy both nodded. "thank you for taking our call.”

Marco nodded again, leaning back on his desk as he spoke. “Of course, detectives. Though I admit I'm not sure what the call is about. I've not been to Zootopia in several years.”

Judy smiled and nodded. “We understand. This is in regards to a record your company produced.”

On the screen Marco's ears perked up curiously. “A record? My company produce over 400 records last year. Why would the police want to know about one?”

Nick shook his head. "This record is special." 

In front of them Marco raised an eyebrow  “special how? “

Judy shrugged. “Well, for starters it's about 60 years old."

Marco's eyes widened at that. "Oh, so like an actual RECORD, record. Ok, but I don't know how much help I can be. I took over the business about 15 years ago. Never produced a legit record myself.”

Nick shook his head. "That's fine. We just need info on the record."

Marco shifted slightly before continuing. "I'll gladly get you what we have, but that might not be much. In the 70s there was a big fire at once of our storage warehouses. We lost thousands of documents and master copies in that.”

Nick cocked his head. "so you're saying you can't tell us anything?”

Marco shrugged. "I don't know. Tell me about this record. It's a long shot, but I can have our archivists go through what we have. Maybe we get lucky and even if we don't have it, it could be in some private collection or old public archive. Nice thing about the modern age there 1001 ways to find things people thought were long gone.”

As he spoke the wolf chuckled softly. Nodding in agreement who began to speak. “Well, this record would be about 60 years old. It would have been special, your father would have been contacted at home; not through normal business channels. The singer would have been probably unknown and… it was probably paid for privately.”

For several moments there was silence as Marco looked at them. Then in a slightly hushed tone he spoke. “Ok… I think I might actually know the record your talking about.”

Nick and Judy both blinked in surprise. "Really?"

Mr Rodriguez nodded. “Possibly. What your describing sounds a lot like the Scarlet Rose Vinyl.”

Just looked to Nick, their eyes meeting for a moment. As they did so Nick's mind went back to what Victoria had said the other day. How she'd called Anna dunwitty her brother's scarlet rose. “And what Mr Rodriguez is the Scarlet Rose Vinyl?"

After a moment Mr Rodriguez shrugged, his head shaking slightly. “Well, ok I'm not actually sure if that's what it's called. Actually I'm not even sure if it has a title. It's a bit of an urban legend in the recording industry. In 1943 my father got a call at his home from an anonymous benefactor. The benefactor made my father an offer. $50,000 if he would record a single record with just one song on it from some artist no one had ever heard of. At the time my father was desperate. The business was doing ok, but one flop could have ruined everything. So my father took the offer. A week later a car brought the singer, a young rodent if I remember right. She handed my father an envelope containing the agreed money, in cash. And then they made the record. When it was done the artist took the record with her and left.” Mr Rodriguez chuckled softly, a slightly reminiscent expression covering his face. “Dad used to love telling that story. He used to ask other record producers if they had any idea who the artist or the benefactor was. But we never found out.” Mr Rodriguez looked at them closely. "What's this about officers? Why are you asking questions about this?"

Judy shifted slightly. "were following the leads of a murder that happened after your father was contacted. We think one of the people involved my have been the benefactor.”

Mr Rodriguez's eyes widened in shock. "a murder? Gosh I hope you don't think the record had anything to do with it. As far as I know only two copies of that record exist.”

Nick cocked his head growing slightly. "Two?"

Mr Rodriguez nodded. “Yes. Standard policy when recording a record, is to produce what is called a master copy. It's a high quality premium vinyl that all other copies are made from. No matter the contract or agreements made, that copy remains the property of the recording company. The second copy is the one the artist took.”

Nick looked to Judy  his eyebrow raising slightly. After a moment he turned back to the wolf and spoke. “Is there any way we could get a copy of the record?"

Mr Rodriguez blinked at them slightly surprised. “Uh… yeah. I think we can arrange that. If you leave me a copy of your email address I can have a digital copy made and sent to you.”

Judy nodded and smiled. "Thank you Mr Rodriguez. You've been a big help."

In front of them Mr Rodriguez smiled and nodded. "of course detectives, although… if I may… I do have one small request.” 

Judy frowned slightly. “What is it?"

Mr Rodriguez chuckled. “Like I said, my father searched for years to find out who the benefactor who called him or the artist was. But he never got an answer. I know you can't speak about an ongoing case but… when it's closed… if you could tell me who it was… I think my father would be over the moon to finally know.”

A smile twitched across Judy's face. “Of course Mr Rodriguez, we'll keep you posted.”

Mr Rodriguez smiled and bowed his head slightly. “Thank you detectives. I'll have you your file by the end of the day.”

As the image of Mr Rodriguez faded Nick looked to Judy. “So… Jack WAS financing a record for Anna.”

Judy nodded. "yeah. One that cost him $50,000 and no one else ever heard.”

Nick frowned and bit his lip. "we should talk to Marcus again, see if he knew why Jack was doing this.”

Judy nodded in agreement, moving to leave the conference room they were in. The precinct was starting to empty out now. Being later in the day the early officers had left for the day leaving only those that worked later and night shifts. Dropping herself into her chair Judy quickly dialed the contact number Marcus Dawson had left them and waited as the phone rang. After three rings the phone picked up. “Hello?"

“Hello Mr Dawson. This is officer Judy Hopps. I wondered if I might be able to ask you a question?”

Dawson was silent for a few moments before responding. "of course officer. What can I answer for you?”

For a moment Judy watched as across from her Nick absentmindedly typed on his computer, probably checking to see if they'd gotten the file yet. To herself she rolled her eyes. It had barely been five minutes. “We were wondering if you knew why Jack had been financing a record for Anna?”

There was silence on the other end of the line, this one for several seconds before Marcus answered. “Jack used to say that Anna's voice needed to be heard. That it was better than the back alley lounge she sang at. I can't say for sure… but paying for a record to be made, so Anna's voice could be sent around to recording studios… that's definitely something Jack would do.”

Judy nodded to herself. "as far as we can tell only one record was ever made. The company calls it the Scarlet Rose Vinyl.” At the name Marcus chuckled softly, making Judy raise an eyebrow. "is something funny Mr Dawson?" 

Marcus sighed softly. “Not exactly detective. Just… nostalgic I suppose. The term Scarlet Rose was a kind of code between Jack and Anna. A way for them to talk about each other in front of others without using their names. Jack would say Anna was the Scarlet Rose in his hat. And Anna would call Jack the Scarlet Rose of her heart. I can count the number of mammals who know that phrase on a single paw. It's just… funny, that they would name the record after that.”

"did Jack ever show you this record?”

"no, he did not. And now that I think about it, I don't recall finding any record when Jack's belongings where being sorted through.”

Opening her mouth to say more Judy broke off as Nick caught her eye and pointed to his computer.  _ Wow that was fast. He must really want to know who called his dad.  _ “Thank you Mr Dawson. We’ll be in touch.”

Hanging up the phone Judy spoke. “Dawson says he’s not surprised Jack was doing this. Said it was something he would do. Also said the name of the record was ironic. Scarlet Rose was a secret term Jack and Anna used to talk about each other.”

Across from her Nick nodded before gesturing to his computer. “Just got the file from the recording company.”

Getting down off her chair Judy moved around their desks, climbing up the side of Nick’s chair to look at the email they’d been sent. 

 

Dear Detectives, 

 

Here is the song you requested. Took less time to get it than I thought it would, Turns out the non-release clause of the contract is almost up. So our sound technicians were working with it to add it to an upcoming throwback album.

 

Anyways, enjoy.

 

Beneath the message was an attached music file. Next to her Judy felt Nick move, bringing the cursor over to the attachment before opening it. For a few seconds the song loaded, and then softly music began to play through the speakers. 

**And in this lonely hour**

**When you rest your weary head**

**Well, I will be watching you**

**And on tiptoe creep to your bed**

Judy felt her eyes wide as the song continued. Anna’s voice was beautiful.

**So dream your sweet baby dreams**

**And I will kiss your tiny cheek**

**Though I must leave now**

**Know that you always be with me**

**I offer up this prayer**

**That anywhere he goes**

**Lord, please protect my baby**

**My sweet, sweet Scarlet Rose**

**'Cause you're my Scarlet Rose**

Softly Nick spoke, his voice in awe. “It’s beautiful.” slowly Judy nodded in agreement.

**You're my scarlet Rose**

**I will never let you go**

**You will always know**

**I will be yours to have and hold**

**Don't forget me**

**Don't regret me**

**Scarlet Rose, Scarlet Rose**

As the song ended Judy blinked, finding a small tear had welled up in the corner of her eye. Quickly wiping it away she spoke. “That… that was… Nick?” Next to her Nick hadn't moved, his eyes staring at the computer screen and the closed song file. “What is it?”

Slowly Nick looked at her, his eyes wide. “I know who the killer is.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who want to listen to the song here is where you can do that.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_h92y0lOOE


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone.   
> This is it, the last chapter. 
> 
> I did my best to wrap up as many loose ends as I could.   
> im sure if you look hard enough you'll find a few I missed, but for the most part I think I got them all. 
> 
> also i have some big news.   
> About mid way through the story a group of fans and I teamed up together to try and turn this story into an audio drama.   
> it hasn't worked out quite like we'd hoped it would.   
> but we did manage to pull together a WIP trailer
> 
> https://youtu.be/drNeMWomKJE
> 
> Right now we're seeking artists who'd be interested in joining and working on the project with us.   
> so if you're interested, let me know in your comments or be emailing us at wildeheart26@gmail.com
> 
> ok, onto the story!

Humming to himself Jack watched his reflection in the mirror, his paws effortlessly tying his bow tie as he had done thousands of times before. He was trying; and mostly succeeding to remain calm. Tonight was the night. Everything was in place, all of his planning and effort would come to fruition. Behind him the door to his room opened, making him turn slightly to watch as Marcus quickly hurried inside before closing the door. For a few moments his friend looked at him, his eyes scanning the pressed black and white suit. “My my, you clean up nice Jacky boy." 

Smiling to himself Jack finished trying his bowtie before, brushing a stray hair off his shoulder. he did look rather dashing if he was being honest. a nice black suit with small white stripes with a white dress shirt underneath. the perfect attire for the evening. turning to look at Marcus Jack spoke. “is everything ready?" 

Marcus nodded and moved closer, pulling two small slips of paper from is pocket before handing them over. “yes. you and Anna are booked on a private car on the last train out of the city tonight. your luggage has been preloaded and the staff has been told not to disturb you. by the time anyone realizes you've gone, you'll be halfway to wherever it is you wanna go.”

smiling Jack turned the tickets over in his paws, running his fingers along the embossed paper before tucking them deep into his pocket. “thank you Marcus." 

Marcus grinned and shrugged. "No trouble at all." For a few moments he looked at Jack before speaking, his voice lowering slightly. “I… please don't be mad Jack… but… is this really what you want?”

He bit his lip, watching as his friend looked at him for a moment before nodding. “It is Marcus. Don't worry I'm not mad." Jack turned to look at his reflection in the mirror. “If I stay here then this,” he gestured to himself in the mirror. "Is all I'll ever be."

Marcus frowned and looked at the reflection. “What do you mean?"

Jack sighed, his ears drooping slightly. He stared at his reflection, at the rich and pampered feline staring back at him. “When I look at myself… I don't see who I wish to see. I see the money, the power, the standing in the city… but I don't see happiness. I just see a cat in a suit being forced to go to a party because if he doesn't he'd lose standing in the city. and I hate that. I hate having to parade around and pretend to be happy at these events." Jack looked to Marcus smiling sadly. "don't get me wrong, I love you, and my family and I know how blessed I am to have been born into the privilege and wealth that I was but… I can't stay here. I can't stay here in this life and be happy. not when I've found another one that makes me truly happy."

Marcus nodded, moving to put his paw on his friend's shoulder. "we all deserve happiness Jack. no matter the form. and now the price is to be paid, one last night of pretending, in exchange for the rest of your life as a happy man."

Jack nodded. "that is a price I can pay."

Marcus grinned. "then let us go pay it in spades so you can get out as soon as possible."

Jack grinned, reaching out to clap his best from on the shoulder. "You're a good mammal Marcus, a far better friend than I deserve. thank you, for all you've done for me and Anna."

Marcus chuckled and shrugged. "think nothing of it. now come, let us away." 

he watched as Jack moved away, reaching to grab his Jacket off the back of his desk chair before twirling it around and fitting himself into it. "yes, let's." 

 

\----------

 

the party was just as extravagant and luxurious as he had expected it to be, more so in some ways. A jazz band played on a stage in the middle of the front lawn, their muzzing warbling through the air for anyone nearby and those far away to hear. a brag to even those who hadn't been invited a flagrant display of wealth and power. a fleet of motor cars parked around the manor, with driver's leaning against their vehicles smoking, drinking, and chatting with each other; themselves not important enough to be let into the party but not allowed to leave either lest their services be needed by the attendees. As they came to a stop Marcus looked at his friend, noting how Jack's eyes had turned to the drivers that had stiffened as they had come to a stop. He could see the disdain in Jack's face, not for the drivers but what they had to endure. "Come along Jack. The sooner we get inside the sooner this night will be over."

Jack only nodded, following Marcus as they got out of the car and moved across the front lawn towards the manor. The front doors to the manor stood wide open, an invitation to anyone who had been invited. stepping into the manor Jack bit his lip.  _ One more night. Just one last night and then never again. _ He could handle that, he'd been doing it for most of his life, what was one more night? But as he looked out over the other guests; at the carvancery of millionaire Playboys and heiresses, the business men huddled together each trying to outdo the other, the mammals assembled around who cared more about money and less about people, he couldn't help but feel alone. Next to him Marcus knew what he was thinking, bumping his shoulder playfully and jerking his head towards the kitchen. "Let's get some food. Can't have you enjoying this last night on an empty stomach. You might never eat this well again."

He smiled weakly at his friend. That was true. Even with the small fortune he'd managed to siphon away, it was unlikely he'd ever enjoy the fine dishes that had been set out for the occasion; ever again. Nodding in agreement Jack took a deep breath, his face twisting into the happy and smiling mask he'd crafted long ago for parties and occasions such as these. He followed Marcus through the manor, both of them quickly finding the dining hall where even more people milled about while nibbling and eating the array of extravagant and decadent foods that had been set out on a long wooden table that spanned the length of the hall. A selection of meats from every cut and cooked rarity, fresh fruits smelling as if they'd brought the tropics with them, vegetables both grilled and raw, and an array of deserts including sculpted and molded jellos, cakes and pastries. And drinks as well, everything from high end bourbons and scotches to non-alcoholic beverages like soda and sparkling water. All of it piled onto the table and looking like it might as well have been treasure that was being doled out to them. Filling his plate Jack bit into his sliced chicken, the flavors exploding in his mouth and making him smile slightly. Next to him Marcus took a bite of his own food, a soft "mmmm" coming from him a moment later. 

The food was delicious, Jack had to admit. And perhaps a small tiny part of him would miss this. the moment he was done eating though, the parts he wouldn't miss rushed in. he'd barely finished chewing the last bite of honeyed bread when he found himself surrounded by several businessman; each of them wanting to talk to him about some business venture that was 'for sure the next big thing if he would only help invest in it. half of the men were con-mammals, clearly expecting him to be an easy mark, they slunk away after the few minutes of conversation he gave them, their expectations dashed when they found he was no mark. That left the business men who were just liars. Each of them pitching him their ideas, trying to get him excited for whatever it was they were proposing. A new business venture, a merger with one of his companies  perhaps a contract to supply his factories with materials; no matter what they sold they were all the same. 

After over an hour Marcus saved him, stepping up him and announcing slightly louder than was needed that his sister was looking for him. It was the perfect excuse, making the business men melt away in a near heartbeat. Looking to Marcus he raised an eyebrow, a silently uttered question to his friend ' _ it's time? _ ' a question Marcus answered with a small nod.

Setting down his now empty plate of food Jack bit his lip, looking around at the other party goers. "Give me a minute. I want to say goodbye to Victoria."

Marcus nodded. "ok. I'll get the car ready, don't be too long."

Nodding in agreement Jack watched as his friend moved away, blending into the crowd of suits and ties and vanishing from sight. Jack began to move, making his way through the party room by room. If he knew Victoria, she was probably in the grande ballroom; music and dancing, those magical scenes from movies or stories had always enraptured her. Indeed as he entered the ballroom he found Victoria almost immediately, slowly dancing with a young red fox, both of them smiling. Getting up onto the dance floor Jack glides towards his sister, speaking to her as he grew closer to them. "Mind if I cut in?" 

The couple turned to him, the fox's face wrinkling slightly; no doubt thinking he was just another male wanting a dance. When Victoria saw it how him however she grinned. "Jack! You came."

He smiled and nodded watching as she released the fox's paws to pull him into a friendly hug. After a moment she pulled away and looked to the fox. "Allen this is my brother Jack Magnus." Victoria looked back to her brother. "Jack this is Allen Wilde, he's new in town."

Jack smiled pleasantly, nodding to the fox who's expression has softened at the news that he was the brother and not another potential suitor. "Nice to meet you."

Allen nodded, reaching out so they could shake paws for a moment before Jack looked to Victoria. "I was hoping we could dance for a moment. Give me an excuse to not talk business for a few minutes."

Victoria chuckled and looked to Allen who shrugged. "By all means, I'll go get us some wine."

Again Jack smiled, watching as Allen moved away before stepping forward and taking his sisters paw. Slowly they began to move, their feet moving in tune with the melody that the band was playing. As they dance Jack spoke. "So how long have you and Allen known each other?"

Victoria shrugged. "A few weeks. His family runs a shipping company for fabrics and materials for sewing."

Jack nodded. "shall we start planning the wedding now?"

Victoria giggled. "Jack, we barely know each other, it's much too soon."

In response he chuckled, his mind drifting to Anna who was waiting for him. "Sometimes time isn't a factor. You meet someone and you just know."

Victoria frowned slightly. "You sound as if you're speaking for experience."

Jack shrugged, his feet picking up slightly as the music moved a little faster. "Maybe I am." When Victoria continued to look at him he chuckled. "Or perhaps I've had a bit too much to drink."

Victoria continued to frown at him. "do you need to go lay down?"

He shook his head, spinning his sister in place before responding. "No I'm ok. Just… getting reflective in my old age."

Victoria laughed. "old age? Jack your 29."

Jack nodded playfully. "I know. I'm almost ancient."

Again Victoria laughed. Biting his lip Jack spoke, aware he had to leave soon. "I just… I wanted to say, I'm proud of you. Your become a beautiful young woman."

Victoria cocked her head at him but smiled. "thank you Jack. What brought this on?"

Jack shrugged. "Just being reflective. Talking to all the businessmen here just reminded me how easily you and I could have turned out like father. Cold and uncaring, willing to destroy a person's life if it meant making a profit. I'm glad we didn't."

Victoria nodded. "agreed."

Jack smiled as the music came to an end. "Remember Victoria. If you succeed it's because others helped as well. Honor those people. Your success is as much theirs as it is yours."

Victoria again frown. "Jack? Are y-"

But her words were cut off as the fox, Allen Wilde returned; a wine glass in each paw. releasing his sisters paw Jack smiled, turning to the approaching fox and smiling. "perfect timing." 

Allen smiled back at him and handed one of the glasses to Victoria who continued to look at her brother with an expression of confusion. "Jack, are you ok? you seem… of." 

Jack just sighed and smiled. " Yeah, I'm ok Victoria. but I'm a bit tired now. I think I'll go home now. See you."

He nodded to the fox. "You treat her right."

Allen Wilde nodded back. "of course." 

leaving the ballroom Jack moved, walking quickly but doing his best to not seem as if he was trying to leave the part. occasionally he'd pause, looking around to try and give the appearance that he was looking for someone. he kept the ACT up until he reached the front door where he paused for real, looking for Marcus. he found his friend after a few moments, his eyes widening as he found Marcus behind the wheel of luxurious Auburn car. making his way down the steps Jack raised an eyebrow. "Who's car is this?" 

Marcus grinned. "My uncle's." 

Opening the door, Jack dropped into the seat next to his best friend. "ok, I'm ready." 

Marcus nodded and gunned the engine, pulling away from the manor and heading down the stone driveway. turning off the driveway and into the road Jack barely paid attention as Marcus drove them through the city. his mind was a flurry of activity. was he really about to do this? was he really about to walk away from his family, his companies, his money, his entire life? he knew the answer of course, yes. for a chance to live happily ever after. for the hope of waking up every morning next to the woman of his dreams and knowing that he could be with her. next to him Marcus looked at him. "you ok?" 

he nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. "y-yeah. Just... nervous. You know?" 

Marcus nodded. "Yeah, I bet you are. If… if you like I can stay, give you and Anna are ride to the train station. it's the least I can do."

Jack shook his head, looking to his best friend. "No Marcus. You've done more than I could ever ask of you. More than was ever fair of me to ask of you. This ride is the last thing I'll ask of you. Just drop me off. I'll be ok."

as the car came to a stop Jack looked up at the tavern they'd come to. a year ago Marcus had brought him here; annoyed by his dower mood and lack of fun. slowly getting out of the car Jack turned, looking to his best friend . "thank you Marcus I'll… I'll write you once everything is settled." 

Marcus nodded. "Damn right you will. and I expect to be the first to know if and when the sound of little paws are to be expected."

at that Jack grinned. "of course." 

Moving around the car Jack paused. looking back to Marcus, the last connection to his old life; the life he was walking away from. "Thank you Marcus. for everything. You’ve been a better friend than I could have ever hoped for, and certainly a better one than I deserve." 

He watched as his friend got out of the car, giving him a soft look before pulling them into a tight hug. "Live a good life Jack." 

Jack nodded and smiled. "I plan to." 

They held the hug a moment longer, both of them keenly aware that this was possibly the last time they would see one another. Then after several seconds they released each other, Marcus slowly got back into the car while Jack turned and walked away. walked away from Marcus, away from his old life and all its trappings. moving up the rickety wooden stairs before pulling open the door to the tavern; ignoring the 'closed' sign and stepping inside. the bar was dimly lit. a single oil lamp illuminating the room, casting a flickering yellow light. Behind the bar stood Sammy, Anna's pseudo father cleaning glasses with a glass but who looked up at Jack as he came inside. "You're here." His voice was low and had a slightly surprised tone to it.

Jack nodded, his eyes meeting the mongoose's. "Yes."

Sammy nodded, setting down the glass he'd been cleaning before gesturing for Jack to come closer. Doing so Jack leaned against the bar watching as Sammy looked at him for another moment before speaking. "Let me make something clear to you. No matter where you go or who you are." Sammy pointed threateningly at him. "she may not be my daughter. But you break her heart, and I'll break your fingers; one at a time. Got it?"

Jack remained silent for a moment looking the mongoose up and down. They'd had a rocky relationship to say the least. At first the mongoose had thought he was just some pervert looking to get his rocks off with some prey. He'd offered to set it up, his beady little eyes glinting the whole time. Jack could still remember the expression that had flashed across Sammy's face when he'd drawn back his hand and slapped the mongoose so hard that he'd tumbled off the bar stool he'd been sitting on. But over time their relationship had changed. The mongoose had come to understand that  was not just some tourist looking for some questionable fun, but someone who was truly smitten with Anna. In response to the mongoose's words Jack nodded. "I'd die before I hurt her. She means everything to me."

Sammy remained silent for several seconds, leaning back against the shelves of booze for a moment before nodding "Good."

A second later Jack watched as the mongoose dug into pocket and produce a small brass key which he set on the bar. "Lock up when you leave. Put the key under the trashcans. And… tell Anna… I'm glad she found her White Knight."

With that Sammy left, offering Jack a single toothy grin before moving out from behind the bar and exiting the tavern. Taking the key from the bar Jack dropped it into his pocket before turning and heading up the stairs on the far wall. At the top of the stairs was a long hallway that ran the length of the bar, and on each side of the hall were doors that branched into private rooms. He knew the room he was looking for by heart; second door on the right.

Standing before it Jack took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest as he reached up and rapped his knuckles against the wood. For inside he heard the sound of a soft gasp, then the sounds of footsteps and then…

The moment Anna came into sight any hesitation and second thoughts he might have had vanished. The sight of Anna was enough to take his breath away. She was wearing a simple blue dress, with a Jacket to keep her warm in the cool night air. Her soft brown eyes looked at him, drawing him in as if they were magnets. Before he knew it he'd stepped into the room, his paws going to her cheeks while his lips met hers. The kiss was long and deep and everything Jack loved about Anna. Her soft lips, the warmth he felt as she pressed against him, the gentle smell of lilac from her perfume (which he'd gotten her for her birthday) and most of all the feelings of love that bloomed in his chest. He loved this woman, more than anything else in the world. The kiss ended and he pulled back slightly, his paws remaining on her cheeks as she looked up at him too. "Are you ready?"

He watched as she looked at him before letting her gaze drift downwards. "J-Jack… are… are you sure you want this? That… you want… me? You're giving up so much."

But Jack shook his head. "No I'm not. I'm gaining everything I ever wanted. Happiness, the woman I love, a life I can be proud of. I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life." He moved, slowly lowering himself to his knee while his paw went to his pocket. "Anna Dunwitty, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you away from this place. Will you do me this honor?"

As he spoke he produced the small purple box, opening it before presenting it to her. He smiled as her eyes went wide and she stared at him. "J-j-Jack?"

He grinned up at her. "If I'm gonna run away with you I'm gonna d-"

"WHAT?!"

the shout from the doorway made Jack spin around, half staggering to his feet. He'd thought she and he were alone, he'd certainly not felt as if anyone was following him. But now standing in the doorway…

"Victoria?"

He stared at his sister, at the wild and paNicked look on her face. What was she doing here? How had she gotten here? In front of him Victoria stood her eyes looking at him with a mixture of confusion, fear and uncertainty. "J-Jack what's going on? Who is this woman? What do you mean run away with her?"

Looking from his sisters paNicked face to Anna who looked equally confused and a little afraid Jack sighed. “This isn't how I wanted you to find out.”

Victoria stared at him, her expression still confused as she continued to look at her brother. “Find out what? Jack what is going on?”

Taking a deep breath Jack looked to anna, his paw going to hers before turning back to look at his sister. “I'm leaving Victoria. Anna and I are leaving this city and we’re not coming back.”

Victoria’s eyes widened. “Jack what are you talking about?! This city is your Home! You can't leave!”

But Jack shook his head. “No it’s not Victoria, this place is not my home. I hate it here. I hate the politics and the greed. I hate the corruption and the indecency. I hate being the only mammal in this entire damn city who doesn't step on others and destroy them to get what they want. I'm sick of it!” Gently he pulled anna against him, holding her against his chest while looking down at her. “But I love this woman. I'm going to marry her. And then I'm going to spend the rest of my life living the life that I want. A life away from here.”

in front of them Victoria was becoming more upset, her tail lashing back and forth as her eyes jerked wildly from her brother to the woman in his arms. “Jack are you insane? What about your family? Me and Mother and Father?”

Jack looked at her. “I'll miss you all. But Victoria, you’re a young woman now. You don't need your brother to protect you from the world anymore. As for mother and father. Father will be delighted to have me gone. And mother… I'll be in touch, so if her condition gets worse I can come back.”

Victoria stared at him before turning her blue eyes on anna, pointing at her. “YOU! YOU DID THIS! YOU FILLED MY BROTHER’S HEAD WITH SWEET WORDS AND LIES! THIS IS YOUR DOING!”

Anna tensed under the shouting. In response Jack tightened his grip around her, his arms going to encircle her shoulders protectively, while for the first time in a long time, his face became a scowl of anger. “Leave her alone Victoria, she didn't trick me. I know exactly what I'm doing and what I want.”

But Victoria was shaking her head, her eyes flashing with rage. “NO! NO! NO! SHE TRICKED YOU! SHE FILLED YOUR HEAD WITH IDEAS AND LIES AND NOW SHE’S TRYING TO TAKE YOU AWAY!”

Jack her his anger spoke. “I'M ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MEN IN THE CITY Victoria! I AM NOT SO EASILY TRICKED BY SWEET WORDS AND A BEAUTIFUL FACE.”

Victoria snarled back at him. “A CITY YOU’RE TRYING TO LEAVE.  WHERE WOULD YOU EVEN GO?! A PLACE WHERE YOU’LL BE NOTHING? A NOBODY? HOW CAN YOU WALK AWAY FROM WHAT YOU ARE?!”

Jack was silent for several seconds. He forced himself to breath, to remain calm. Against him he could feel anna shaking slightly. She’d never liked it when people yelled. Gently he held her against him, running his paw soothingly along her neck. After a moment he looked back to his sister. “By being selfish for the first time in my life. By taking what I want and not caring about how anyone else feelings about it. I'm leaving Victoria, me and my WIFE are leaving. Now; GET OUT OF MY WAY.”

But Victoria didn't move instead her paws went to one of the pockets of the Jacket she was wearing, pulling out-

Jack’s eyes widened. Roughly he forced Anna to move, pulling her away from her chest while spinning her until she stood behind him as his sister produced the small revolver she’d bought for him over a year ago. “Victoria what are you doing?!”

Victoria shook her head. “You can't leave Jack! You can't! You belong here in zootopia!”

Jack watched as his sister shook and trembled, tears streaming down the sides of her face as she awkwardly held the gun in her paw. After several seconds he spoke. “Victoria… give me the gun. Please.”

But Victoria shook her head. “N-no. Not until you stop this insanity! You can't leave! You have to stay!”

Slowly Jack shook his head. “I can't do that Victoria. I can't stay here any more. Not if it means I have to give up the woman I love. You and I both know what this city would do if they found out about Anna and me. Everything I've worked for, every step I've made would be undone, waved off as something Anna else made me or convinced me to do. They'd drag her through the mud and they’d ruin the companies I’ve built. I can't let that happen Victoria, not when so many depend on those jobs. Victoria this is the only way for everyone to get what they want.” he moved, holding his hand out to his sister. “Please… give me the gun.”

Victoria’s entire body shook with the force of her sobs. She shook her head, desperately trying to breath. “You can't Jack. You can't leave. You just ca-”

In a flash Jack moved, with one hand pushing Anna back and away from him towards the bed while at the same time rushing forward towards his sister. in front of him Victoria’s eyes widened in shock, jerking in surprise and fear as she-   
  


*BANG*

 

The sound of the revolver was deafening to his ears. It split through room like some kind of horrible demon. A second later Jack collided with his sister, his paws grabbing hers while his head turned to make sure Anna was ok. His eyes widened in horror as he found her on the floor, blood pouring from a wound that had blossomed on her shoulder. 

“NO!”

He moved to push Victoria away, violently shoving his sister back until she hit the wall while at the same time turning so he could-

 

*BANG*

 

It was like getting hit in the stomach by a redhot sledgehammer. Instantly Jack crumbled to the ground as pain exploded through his body. He could hear the sounds of footsteps, of people shouting but even as he struggled to move those sounds were getting fainter, more distant. Weakly he struggled to move, willing his arms and legs to pull him forward. Tears welled up in his eyes as he tried to reach Anna but found that he had no more strength. Coldness crept in around him, making his paws, arms and legs go numb. He could see her there, so painfully close yet so impossibly far away. She was beautiful, a true angel. Something so pure and good it had no business being in this horrible city. Something that he had destroyed and killed with his greed and selfishness, even if he hadn't meant to. Darkness closed in around him, the cold that had enveloped him was all consuming, chilling him down to his bones. He wanted to say something. Some final word to the woman he loved so that if she survived…

“My.... scarlet…. ros-”

  
\---------------------

 

An impossibly painful silence filled the interrogation room. 

Judy Hopps sat in stunned silence, watching as in front of them the elderly Victoria Magnus took a deep shuddering breath. Tears stained the old feline’s face and sadness seemed to emanate from every hair on her body. Under her breath Judy heard Victoria speak softly. “How could he want to just leave us?”

After several moments of silence Judy felt Nick move, her partner getting to her feet before speaking in a low sollom voice. “Victoria Magnus, you are under arrest for the murder of Jack Magnus and Anna Dunwitty. You have the right to remain…”   


Judy barely heard the rest of what Nick was saying. She couldn't believe what she’d just heard. Jacks own sister had been his killer? When Nick had first told her of his suspicions she’d been doubtful. Why would Victoria kill Jack? It didn't make any sense.

As Nick finished reading Victoria her rights the old cat looked up, her eyes full of fear and confusion and pain; pain that she’d been carrying around and been forced to keep to herself for 60 years. “I didn't mean to… It just… I… it just got… so out of hand. I just wanted him to stay.”

From where Nick stood he spoke again, his voice still low. “And what about what Jack wanted?” Victoria looked at him, her expression one of anguish and suffering. Of someone who wished with every fiber of their being that they could go back and undo the mistake that had caused all of this. Several times she opened her mouth to speak only to close it again. After several more seconds Nick spoke again. “Its over Victoria. Your brother can finally rest now.”

Shuddering Victoria nodded slowly, her voice quivering. “Th-thank y-you.”

  
  


\---------------------

 

When he finished reading the report Chief Bogo looked up at them, a stunned expression covering his normally stern face. “His sister?”

Judy nodded. “Yes. She confessed to all of it.”

in front of them Bogo set the report down on the desk and rubbed his forehead. “Lion christ, I can't believe it.”

Next to her Judy felt Nick shrug. “Believe it. It’s all there.”

Bogo sighed and looked at them. “That’s everything then? The case is closed? No loose ends?”

Judy nodded but stopped as Nick spoke. “Almost, there is just one last question. And it’s one I think you can help us with Chief.”

The Chief looked at Nick, an expression of confusion flickering across his face. “Me?”

Nick nodded. “Yes you, ARTHUR.”

The Chief stiffened at the name, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Pick your next words VERY carefully Wilde, or you might just find yourself on parking duty… FOREVER.” 

Nick leaned back in his chair looking casual. "I just wanted to know why you gave us this case."

The Chief stared at him. After a moment Bogo responded. "Because as police officers it's kind of you JOB to solve crimes. Or do they not cover that in the academy anymore?"

Nick raised an eyebrow at the jock but shook his head a moment later. "No no. I mean why THIS case? This specific one? Judy and I went to the archives department. There are hundreds of unsolved cases down there. Why did you pick this one out of all of them?"

Judy looked from her partner to Bogo. That… was a fair question actually. Why had they been given this case? In front of them behind his desk Bogo sighed, leaning back in his desk to survey them for several seconds. Then, the cape buffalo moved, opening a drawer and producing a scrap of paper which he showed to them. The paper turned out to be an old photo. In the photo a young cape buffalo played in a backyard while in the front of the photo a middle aged and elderly cape buffalo sat at a table drinking what looked like lemonade. Bogo pointed to the elderly one. "That is Reginald Bogo. He is my grandfather, the first of my family to come to this city. He came here hoping to find work. With the city being under construction he figured someone as strong as he was would have no trouble getting a job. He was wrong though, the mammals that ran the construction companies didn't want to hire prey and when they did it was for hardly any pay. It was rough, my grandfather was actually getting ready to leave the city to look for work elsewhere."

For a moment Bogo fell silent, his gaze going to the photo he still held in his hands. "Then, one day a cat from the rich side of town walked into preyside and the slums and said he needed workers for his factories." Bogo looked up at them. "Jack Magnus hired my grandfather as a floorman. A job he kept and worked for the next 40 years." Setting the photo down Bogo's tone became business like again. "Because of that job, because of Jack Magnus my grandfather was able to buy a house, find and marry the love of his live, and raise a family. Without Magnus hiring my grandfather my family wouldn't have stayed here and I wouldn't be sitting here." Bogo leaned back in his chair, his shoulders slumping slightly. "My grandfather died… last month."

Both Nick and Judy's ears went down. Weakly Judy spoke. "I'm… sorry to hear that."

Bogo nodded and gave them a weak smile. "Thanks. Anyways, after the funeral my family started talking about how much the city had changed. How the city has evolved and grown from how it had been. And it got me thinking about the Magnus family and the murder that had gone unsolved for 60 years. I gave you this case because as much of a pain in the ass as you two are, and believe me you two are QUITE the pain in my ass; you're the best detectives I have." Bogo looked sternly at Nick. "Does that answer your question Wilde?"

Nick nodded. "Yes sir."

The Chief nodded towards the door. "Good. You're dismissed."

They both got up, moving towards the door. Judy had just touched the knob when Bogo called to them. "And Wilde, if you ever use my first name again; I'll make sure everyone in the city knows what your middle name is. Understand?"

Nick turned and nodded. "Yes sir."

 

\-------------

 

Just and Nick watched silently as in front of them Marcus Dawson slumped against the couch he was sitting in. "It was Victoria? are you sure?"

Nick nodded slowly. "She confessed."

Marcus sighed. "I can't imagine what she's gone through all these years. But," Marcus looked to Nick and Judy. "Thank you for bringing justice to my friend. Now he can finally rest."

Nick smiled and nodded. While he did so Judy sat forward a bit. "What's going to happen now to the companies Victoria ran? Will people lose their jobs?"

Marcus shook his head. "No. Victoria was just the president of the companies. With her gone control will shift to the majority shareholder. Judy raised an eyebrow. 

"And who would that be?"

Marcus smiled weakly. "Me. Zootopia bank and trust might not be the biggest bank in the city anymore, but we are the oldest. We hold the deeds and leases to a lot of properties here in the city. It's not hard to take over a company, not if you know how. I'll make sure they stay open, that Jack's legacy continues. It's what he would have wanted."

For a few moments there was silence in the room; then, "You know, Jack truly was the best of us all. All the money, all the power, all the prestige that he was born into; and what did he do with it? He put it to use to better the lives of those around him. He forced others to look at the injustice of the world and realize that it wasn't right. That things could be better if we all stood together instead of apart. Predator, prey; he didn't see the world like that." Marcus smiled at them. "He'd have liked you two I think. He'd have been so happy to see you two working together. And I'm sure he'd be the first to congratulate you too."

Judy looked curiously at the old coyote. "Congratulate us? On what?"

Marcus shrugged but remained silent, smiling knowingly at them. 

 

\------------

 

" _ And in this lonely hour, when you rest your weary head. I will be with you and I'll tip toe into your bed." _

The sound of music filled the apartment, the smooth piano rift echoing softly off the walls back at them as they slowly turned and swayed in tune with the song. It was strange in a way, to be dancing to a song sung by someone who they knew had died a horrible death. And yet… in a way it felt right. As if by doing so they were closing some kind of loop that had been left undone by the lack of a happy ending to Jack and Anna's stories. 

" _ I offer up this prayer, everywhere he goes. Lord please protect my baby my sweet sweet scarlet rose." _

Looking up at Nick Judy felt her heart swell a little. Her fox was looking at her too, his beautiful perfect green eyes meeting her purple ones. They moved at the same their lips pressing against each other in a warm and tender embrace. In that moment no words needed to be spoken to convey what they were feeling. No matter what came next, no matter what was thrown at them. They'd face it together. Him a predator and her a prey, as more than just friends; but as two mammals very much in love. 

"I love you."

"I love you." 

" _ I will be you're to have and hold, don't forget me, don't regret me, scarlet rose, scarlet rose, scarlet rose." _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end folks.   
> i wanna take a moment to thank everyone who's stuck with this story, through all the chapters and even the profile change.
> 
> thank you so much for your support.   
> I hope you continue to enjoy my works for a long time.


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